Eleven brilliant and courageous men and women.
1.
Pablo Neruda
July 12, 1904-September 23, 1973
I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,
and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.
2.
Norma Jeane Mortenson
June 1, 1926-August 5, 1962
I am not a victim of emotional conflicts. I am human.
Norma Jeane Mortenson
3.
Harvey Milk
May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978
“All men are created equal. No matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.”
― Harvey Milk, The Harvey Milk Interviews: In His Own Words
4.
el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz
May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965
“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
― Malcolm X
5.
Nina Simone
February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003
“I am just one of the people who is sick of the social order, sick of the establishment, sick to my soul of it all. To me, America’s society is nothing but a cancer, and it must be exposed before it can be cured. I am not the doctor to cure it. All I can do is expose the sickness.”
― Nina Simone
6.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963
“If by a “Liberal” they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a “Liberal”, then I’m proud to say I’m a “Liberal.”
― John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage
7.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15, 1929- April 4, 1968
There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right. Martin Luther King, Jr.
8.
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau
July 5, 1889 – 11 October 11, 1963
The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.
Jean Cocteau
9.
Frank O’Hara
March 27, 1926 – July 25, 1966
“I wonder if the course of narcissism through the ages would have been any different had Narcissus first peered into a cesspool. He probably did.”
― Frank O’Hara, Early Writing
10.
Simone de Beauvoir
January 9, 1908 – April 14, 1986
Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying. Simone de Beauvoir
11.
Jean Genet
December 19, 1910-April 15, 1986
What I did not yet know so intensely was the hatred of the white American for the black, a hatred so deep that I wonder if every white man in this country, when he plants a tree, doesn’t see Negroes hanging from its branches. Jean Genet
Disclaimer: To the best of my knowledge the images on this page are in the public domain.
Header photo, Portrait of Malcolm X, by Rob Goldstein (c) 2016
Blog post update July, 2018
Rob, that is quite the list. Only in the last few years have I discovered Nina Simone. It is a shame her voice was not louder during her time. But, I do remember southern white stations not playing music played by African-American artists in the 1960s, so her voice was squelched.
MLK is another voice that we were lucky to have. He and Gandhi are the two towering voices of the last century. In this century, Pope Francis is one that stands out over other leaders, thus far.
Nice work, Keith
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Thank you, Keith. I’ve done nothing but watch the news this weekend. Mueller’s indictments came on Friday and today we watched has Trump surrendered to Putin. What a shocking moment in American History.
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Powerful quotes, Rob. It’s sad that in over one hundred years we haven’t really learned a thing.
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It’s baffling to see that people can’t even learn from videotaped and filmed history. We can watch Hitler’s rise and fall from beginning to end. We can hear Franklin Roosevelt deliver his Four Freedoms speech, we can see how regulated capitalism and fully funded education increased the personal wealth of every day Americans.
Yet many Americans prefer to run with their uninformed prejudices rather than spend an hour or two watching history.
It’s a bit discouraging.
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Great collection and yes…we have never had it so good!
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The genius of American democracy is it unleashes creative genius in general because it empowers average people to learn how to participate in making the decisions that affect the quality of their lives. At least eight of these 11 people would have lived and died in ignorance and poverty in a feudal system.
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Fabulous, inspiring. And confronting too. That Nina Simone quote is chilling in its contemporary resonance. Thanks.
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Great minds are timeless. Thanks for the visit and the comment. 🙂
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Beautiful minds, indeed! Earlier today I read a post about “top beautiful women of…” and I thought well our minds are much more stunning than our bodies!! Great post ❤
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Thanks, Christy!
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Some fabulous choices here!
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Thanks, Laurel!
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Robert, this moved me deeply. I cannot explain why but it did. Such great people indeed. All left something wonderful for us and changed something in this world. I find it great that you used Monroe’s real name and a photo without the glamor.
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Thank you, Erika. I’m glad you found the post moving. These people represent the brilliance of our species and gifts that all of us have. Genet is one of the World’s great writers; he started life as a petty thief and took up writing in prison.
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Oh, that’s right. They all represent a particular aspect and also those are 11 life journeys to teach us!!
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Oh yes, Erika! And there are so many more. If you look at the post war period we see a creative burst as a result of overall improvement to health, education and housing.
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Like humanity taking a deep breath!
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An inspiring post, Rob. You chose the perfect quote for each “beautiful mind.”
I enjoyed seeing the “before” photo of Marilyn. I found it very touching. Hugs.
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I think the person we call Marilyn had DID. I wanted a photo that revealed her heart as well as her mind. Thanks for the comment.
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I thought I had seen this post before. I remembered Marilyn and this exchange of comments. I’m glad you re-posted it Rob. Too beautiful not to share again. Hugs on the wing.
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This is one of my faves. We need to remember why Democratic systems are worth protecting. In feudal systems and tyrannies minds like these are consigned to servitude and poverty
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Wonderful choices. I was only unfamiliar with a couple of the names. I love Pablo Neruda. It’s nice that he made your list.
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Thanks! I could have made the list much longer!
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I’m sure. There are many wonderful people past and present that deserve recognition.
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Many!
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Love Nina Simone. My favourite!
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I did not know until yesterday that she is the author of ‘I put a Spell on You’…what brilliance!
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That’s quite a collection of brilliance right there. Thanks, Robert. 💖
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The 20th Century saw the most rapid shifts in the pace of human social evolution in the history of our species. How lucky that we had such dedicated men and women of principle.
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Excellent round-up 🙂
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This was fun to do. I did it as a kind of free association…so it is truly a random selection. Of all of these photos the one that moves me the most is that shot of Monroe as Norma Jean. She looks so different from the Marilyn.
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