Among millions of people who live on through centuries, some definitely leave their footprints behind. We are inspired by their achievements and at times aspire to emulate them as well. Here is a look at some famous men and women across continents, who left behind an indelible mark and whose names got etched in history forever.
Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
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Born in Skopje, Macedonia; Albanian-Indian Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968)
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.”
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Born in Atlanta; American [line]
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”
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Born in Louisville, Kentucky; American Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won.”
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Born in Porbandar, Gujarat; Indian [line]
Aung San Suu Kyi (1945)
“It is not power that corrupts but fear.”
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Born in Rangoon; Burmese Eva Peron (1919-1952)
“I have one thing that counts, and that is my heart.”
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Born in Los Toldos; Argentine [line]
Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007)
“I will not be intimidated. I will step out on the tarmac in Karachi not to complete a journey, but to begin one.”
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Born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan Jesse Owens (1913-1980)
“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us – that’s where it’s at.”
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Born in Alabama; American [line]
Pele (1940)
“The more difficult the victory, the greater happiness in winning.”
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Born in Três Corações, Brazil; Brazilian Fidel Castro (1926-2016)
“I am a Marxist-Leninist, and I will be a Marxist-Leninist until the last days of my life.”
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Born in Birán, Cuba; Cuban [line]
Sachin Tendulkar (1973)
“When people throw stones at you, you turn them into milestones.”
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Born in Bombay; Indian J K Rowling (1965)
“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.”
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Born in Chipping Sodury; British [line]
Glossary
- Nobel Prize: A set of annual international awards bestowed in several categories by Sweden and Norwegian institutions in recognition of academic, cultural or scientific advances.
- Canonised: Officially declared to be a saint.