Josiah Wedgwood (1730) An English potter, Wedgwood greatly improved the quality of contemporary pottery, specializing in cream-colored earthenware made famous by his Wedgwood company. Because smallpox had permanently weakened one of his knees, he concentrated on designing pottery rather than […]

Oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)  

indisposed Definition: (adjective) Somewhat ill or prone to illness. Synonyms: ailing, peaked, poorly, under the weather, unwell, sickly, seedy Usage: The princess is indisposed and has cancelled her engagements for the week to allow herself time to recuperate.  

Elwyn Brooks “E. B.” White (1899) After starting his writing career as a reporter, White settled in New York and became known for his impeccable prose style as a contributing editor of New Yorker magazine. Talented in diverse genres, he […]

All say, “How hard it is that we have to die”—a strange complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live. Mark Twain (1835-1910)  

seeker Definition: (noun) Someone making a search or inquiry. Synonyms: quester, searcher Usage: A seeker of the truth, he never took things at face value.  

Marcel Proust (1871) One of the great literary figures of the modern age, Proust was a French author who is best known for À la recherche du temps perdu, his 3,200-page masterpiece. After the death of his mother, the asthmatic […]

Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)  

nonviolence Definition: (noun) Peaceful resistance to a government by fasting or refusing to cooperate. Synonyms: passive resistance Usage: Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., were two of the most articulate advocates of nonviolence.    

Fanny Fern (1811) Fanny Fern was the pseudonym of Sara Willis Parton, an immensely popular American columnist and novelist known for her conversational writing style and emphasis on the everyday concerns of middle-class women. Though she had struggled to support […]

Felicity, the companion of content, is rather found in our own breasts than in the enjoyment of external things; And I firmly believe it requires but a little philosophy to make a man happy in whatsoever state he is. This […]

penalize Definition: (verb) Impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on. Synonyms: punish Usage: The students were penalized for their tardiness and had to stay after school for detention.    

John Paul Jones (1747) One of the greatest heroes of the US Navy, Jones emigrated from Scotland at the start of the American Revolution. In 1779, while commanding the Bonhomme Richard, he engaged the British Serapis in battle. With his […]

Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) […]