Recommended YouTube video: The Power of Meaning: Crafting A Life That Matters – World Government Summit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bVl4xdPUns
- “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself.”
Marcus Aurelius
Born: 26 April 121, Italy (Roman Empire)
Died: 17 March 180
Age: 58 at death
Main role: Roman emperor, Stoic philosopher
Cause of death / Health: Died of natural causes, probably illness, while on military campaign. - “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”
Victor Hugo
Born: 26 February 1802, France
Died: 22 May 1885
Age: 83 at death
Main role: Writer, poet, political thinker
Cause of death / Health: Died after a stroke and complications of old age. - “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
Leo Tolstoy
Born: 9 September 1828, Russia
Died: 20 November 1910
Age: 82 at death
Main role: Novelist, moral thinker
Cause of death / Health: Died of pneumonia after falling ill while travelling. - “The soul is healed by being with children.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Born: 11 November 1821, Russia
Died: 9 February 1881
Age: 59 at death
Main role: Novelist, philosopher of human suffering
Cause of death / Health: Died from complications of lung disease and epilepsy. - “Work is love made visible.”
Kahlil Gibran
Born: 6 January 1883, Lebanon (then Ottoman Empire)
Died: 10 April 1931
Age: 48 at death
Main role: Poet, artist, philosopher
Cause of death / Health: Died from cirrhosis of the liver and possible tuberculosis. - “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.”
Albert Schweitzer
Born: 14 January 1875, Alsace (then German Empire, now France)
Died: 4 September 1965
Age: 90 at death
Main role: Physician, theologian, humanitarian
Cause of death / Health: Died of natural causes in Lambaréné, Gabon, in old age. - “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Corrie ten Boom
Born: 15 April 1892, Netherlands
Died: 15 April 1983
Age: 91 at death
Main role: Watchmaker, rescuer of Jews, Christian writer
Cause of death / Health: Died after a series of strokes, on her 91st birthday. - “We can’t choose to vanish the dark, but we can choose to kindle the light.”
Edith Eger
Born: 29 September 1927, Czechoslovakia (today Slovakia)
Alive
Age: 98 (as of 2025)
Main role: Psychologist, Holocaust survivor, author
Cause of death / Health: Alive; no major public illness reported. - “Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness.”
Irvin D. Yalom
Born: 13 June 1931, United States
Alive
Age: 94 (as of 2025)
Main role: Psychiatrist, existential psychotherapist, writer
Cause of death / Health: Alive; no major public illness reported. - “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
Albert Camus
Born: 7 November 1913, French Algeria (now Algeria)
Died: 4 January 1960
Age: 46 at death
Main role: Writer, philosopher of absurdism
Cause of death / Health: Died in a car accident in France. - “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.”
Jean-Paul Sartre
Born: 21 June 1905, France
Died: 15 April 1980
Age: 74 at death
Main role: Philosopher, novelist, playwright
Cause of death / Health: Died from lung and heart problems, including pulmonary edema. - “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future; act now, without delay.”
Simone de Beauvoir
Born: 9 January 1908, France
Died: 14 April 1986
Age: 78 at death
Main role: Philosopher, writer, feminist thinker
Cause of death / Health: Died from pneumonia and age-related complications. - “The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”
Hannah Arendt
Born: 14 October 1906, Germany
Died: 4 December 1975
Age: 69 at death
Main role: Political theorist, philosopher
Cause of death / Health: Died suddenly of a heart attack. - “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”
Susan Sontag
Born: 16 January 1933, United States
Died: 28 December 2004
Age: 71 at death
Main role: Essayist, cultural critic, novelist
Cause of death / Health: Died from acute myeloid leukemia. - “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”
Elie Wiesel
Born: 30 September 1928, Romania
Died: 2 July 2016
Age: 87 at death
Main role: Writer, Holocaust survivor, human rights activist
Cause of death / Health: Died after a long illness in old age. - “Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous; more dangerous are the common men ready to obey without asking.”
Primo Levi
Born: 31 July 1919, Italy
Died: 11 April 1987
Age: 67 at death
Main role: Chemist, writer, Holocaust survivor
Cause of death / Health: Died after a fall in his home, widely regarded as death by suicide. - “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Carl Jung
Born: 26 July 1875, Switzerland
Died: 6 June 1961
Age: 85 at death
Main role: Psychiatrist, founder of analytical psychology
Cause of death / Health: Died after a short illness, of natural causes. - “Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”
Sigmund Freud
Born: 6 May 1856, Austria (then Austrian Empire)
Died: 23 September 1939
Age: 83 at death
Main role: Neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis
Cause of death / Health: Died from an overdose of morphine given to relieve severe pain from jaw cancer. - “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”
Alfred Adler
Born: 7 February 1870, Austria (then Austro-Hungarian Empire)
Died: 28 May 1937
Age: 67 at death
Main role: Physician, psychotherapist, founder of individual psychology
Cause of death / Health: Died of a heart attack while travelling in Scotland. - “Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.”
Karen Horney
Born: 16 September 1885, Germany
Died: 4 December 1952
Age: 67 at death
Main role: Psychoanalyst, feminist psychology pioneer
Cause of death / Health: Died from cancer and related complications. - “Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive.”
Erik Erikson
Born: 15 June 1902, Germany
Died: 12 May 1994
Age: 91 at death
Main role: Developmental psychologist, psychoanalyst
Cause of death / Health: Died of natural causes in old age. - “The principal goal of education is to create people who are capable of doing new things.”
Jean Piaget
Born: 9 August 1896, Switzerland
Died: 16 September 1980
Age: 84 at death
Main role: Developmental psychologist, epistemologist
Cause of death / Health: Died of natural causes after a long academic life. - “Through others we become ourselves.”
Lev Vygotsky
Born: 17 November 1896, Russian Empire (today Belarus)
Died: 11 June 1934
Age: 37 at death
Main role: Psychologist, learning theorist
Cause of death / Health: Died from tuberculosis. - “It’s not how smart you are that matters; what really counts is how you are smart.”
Howard Gardner
Born: 11 July 1943, United States
Alive
Age: 82 (as of 2025)
Main role: Psychologist, theorist of multiple intelligences
Cause of death / Health: Alive; no major public illness reported. - “At the center of our lives are relationships, and an ethic of care.”
Carol Gilligan
Born: 28 November 1936, United States
Alive
Age: 89 (as of 2025)
Main role: Psychologist, ethicist, feminist thinker
Cause of death / Health: Alive; no major public illness reported. - “Done is better than perfect.”
Sheryl Sandberg
Born: 28 August 1969, United States
Alive
Age: 56 (as of 2025)
Main role: Business leader, author, advocate for women in leadership
Cause of death / Health: Alive; no major public illness reported. - “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”
Elon Musk
Born: 28 June 1971, South Africa
Alive
Age: 54 (as of 2025)
Main role: Entrepreneur, engineer, business leader
Cause of death / Health: Alive; no major public illness reported. - “Not all those who wander are lost.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Born: 3 January 1892, South Africa (later lived in England)
Died: 2 September 1973
Age: 81 at death
Main role: Writer, philologist, professor
Cause of death / Health: Died from complications of a bleeding ulcer and chest infection. - “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
C.S. Lewis
Born: 29 November 1898, Ireland (now Northern Ireland)
Died: 22 November 1963
Age: 64 at death
Main role: Writer, literary scholar, Christian thinker
Cause of death / Health: Died from kidney failure and related health problems. - “All real living is meeting.”
Martin Buber
Born: 8 February 1878, Vienna (then Austria-Hungary)
Died: 13 June 1965
Age: 87 at death
Main role: Philosopher of dialogue, religious thinker
Cause of death / Health: Died of natural causes in Jerusalem, in old age.
EXTRA EXPLANATIONS AND ANSWERS
Who assassinated Abraham Lincoln and why?
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an American actor and strong supporter of the Confederacy.
Booth shot Lincoln on 14 April 1865 in Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Booth’s stated motive: he saw Lincoln as a tyrant, hated the end of slavery, and wanted to avenge the South after the Civil War and stop Lincoln’s policies toward formerly enslaved people.
Who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi and why?
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Hindu nationalist.
Godse shot Gandhi on 30 January 1948 in New Delhi.
Godse’s stated motive: he believed Gandhi was too soft toward Muslims, blamed him for the partition of India and Pakistan, and thought Gandhi’s calls for peace and support for Muslim citizens were harming Hindu interests.
Who assassinated Malcolm X and why?
Malcolm X was assassinated on 21 February 1965 in New York City by gunmen linked to the Nation of Islam.
Talmadge Hayer (also known as Mujahid Abdul Halim) was one of the attackers and admitted his role; two other members of the Nation of Islam were also convicted at the time.
The stated motive from the assassins’ side: they saw Malcolm X as a traitor to the Nation of Islam after he left the group, criticised its leader, and changed his views about race and cooperation, so they targeted him for his break with their movement.
About Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi:
Born: 29 September 1934, Fiume (then part of Italy, now Croatia); later a Hungarian-American psychologist in the United States.
Short explanation of existential therapy
Existential therapy is a way of doing psychotherapy that focuses on the big questions of life.
Some key ideas:
- We are free, and with freedom comes responsibility for our choices.
- Life has limits: we will die, we can feel alone, and we cannot control everything.
- People often feel anxiety when they face these facts, but this anxiety can guide growth.
- The therapist helps the person explore meaning, values, and choices, not just symptoms.
Important themes in existential therapy: - Meaning and purpose: What makes my life worth living?
- Freedom and responsibility: What do I choose, and what do I avoid choosing?
- Isolation and connection: How can I be truly close to others and still be myself?
- Death and finiteness: How do I live more fully, knowing life will end?
Key names in this approach include Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin D. Yalom.
Translation and meaning of “grit”
In psychology (especially Angela Duckworth’s work), “grit” means long-term passion plus perseverance for important goals. It is staying committed and working hard over years, even when things are boring or difficult.
A common Spanish translation is:
- “perseverancia” (sometimes also “tesón” or “determinación” for the same idea).
Daniel Goleman: is he alive and still working?
- Daniel Goleman was born on 7 March 1946 in Stockton, California, USA.
- As of late 2025, he is alive and still active.
- He continues to write, give talks, and develop programmes about emotional intelligence and leadership.
He also co-directs a consortium on emotional intelligence in organisations and appears in interviews and podcasts.
Daniel Goleman: latest book and its reception vs. “Thinking, Fast and Slow”
- Daniel Goleman’s latest major book (with Cary Cherniss) is:
“Optimal: How to Sustain Excellence Every Day” (published 2024). - It gives practical advice, based on many studies, on how to reach and keep an “optimal state” of focus, emotional balance, and performance in daily life and work.
- Reception of “Optimal”:
- Reviews are generally positive. Readers say it is helpful and practical, especially for leaders and professionals.
- Ratings on big book sites are good, but the number of reviews is still modest.
- Comparison with Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow”:
- “Thinking, Fast and Slow” has become a huge worldwide classic in psychology and economics, with very high ratings, many academic citations, and millions of copies sold.
- “Optimal” is respected and useful, but it has not (so far) reached the same level of fame or cultural impact as “Thinking, Fast and Slow”.
- In simple words: “Optimal” is well liked, but Kahneman’s book is still the giant in public and academic reception.
Daniel Goleman: children and their professions
Public information shows that Daniel Goleman and his wife Tara Bennett-Goleman have two sons:
- Hanuman Goleman
- Founder and CEO of Key Step Media (formerly More Than Sound).
- Works with audio, books, and courses, many of them based on emotional intelligence.
- Co-host of the podcast “First Person Plural: EI & Beyond”.
- Also trained as an emotional intelligence coach and has experience with mindfulness and storytelling.
- Gov (Govinda) Goleman
- Owner and proprietor of “Metalurges”, a company doing fine architectural metalwork in Massachusetts.
- His work is in skilled craft and design: building high-quality metal pieces for buildings and projects.
Short reminder definitions
Grit (in English)
- A personal quality of long-term passion and perseverance for important goals, especially when things are hard or boring.
Primatologist
- A scientist who studies primates: monkeys, apes, and related animals.
- They observe how primates live, think, communicate, and care for each other, often to learn more about human behaviour too.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 