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20 Famous Quotes From the Brightest People in World History

20 Famous Quotes From the Brightest People in World History

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"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."

2008 Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer."

Photograph by Oren Jack Turner, Princeton, N.J., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."

Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com

"Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas."

Eve Curie: Madame Curie. S. 329 [1], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong."

Alexander Gardner / Getty Images

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

Geo. F. Parlow., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"There is no great genius without some touch of madness."

After Lysippos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward."

2010 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikimedia Commons

"I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow."

Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Classicstock / Getty Images

"I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing."

Vatican Museums, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it."

THE DETROIT NEWS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."

Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

USA International Trade Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you."

Tom Brenner / Getty Images News via Getty Images

"The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting."

Harris & Ewing, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

FDR Library photo., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid of failure. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness."

Bryan Bedder / Getty Images

"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
"It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer."
"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."
"Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas."
"It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong."
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."
"There is no great genius without some touch of madness."
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."
"I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow."
"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
"I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing."
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it."
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
"Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
"The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting."
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid of failure. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness."

The right quote can be inspiring, motivating, or uplifting. Often, the best quotes encourage us to think differently, keep going, and reach for success. It also helps to hear a quote from someone who has gone before us, often sharing what he or she has learned from their mistakes.

Some of the best and brightest throughout history have left behind famous quotes that we can use today. These quotes often provoke us to think differently or inspire us not to give up. After all, many of these people are merely sharing what they've learned, hoping to lead and motivate the next generation.

Many of the quotes on this list come from some of the most well-known people throughout history. From Aristotle, who led the movement on ancient Greek philosophy, to Oprah Winfrey, who continues to encourage, inspire, and lead today, these quotes have left a lasting legacy even into the 21st century.

To determine the most famous quotes from some of the brightest people throughout history, 24/7 Tempo compiled information from several online sources. These include Inc., Goodreads, and Readers Digest, among others. Additionally, for more inspiring quotes, check out some of the most moving speeches that have ever been delivered in a movie.

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