Choose Your Mentors
Browse 28 mentors from history and literature. Build your personal board of advisors.
28 mentors found
Sun Tzu
Ancient China
Known for
Strategy, preparation, and winning without fighting
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
From: The Art of War
67 mentor adoptions
Cleopatra VII
Ancient Egypt/Rome (1st Century BCE)
Known for
Last Pharaoh of Egypt, diplomat, and political survivor
"I will not be triumphed over."
From: Cleopatra — Complete
54 mentor adoptions
J.P. Morgan
Late 19th-Early 20th Century America
Known for
Financier who dominated corporate finance, reorganized railroads, and bailed out the U.S. government
A man always has two reasons for what he does—a good one, and the real one
From: High Finance
66 mentor adoptions
George Washington
Revolutionary America, 18th Century
Known for
Leading the revolution and voluntarily surrendering power, setting the standard for principled leadership
It is better to be alone than in bad company.
From: Hero Tales from American History
65 mentor adoptions
Winston Churchill
20th Century Britain
Known for
Wartime leadership, oratory, and indomitable spirit
"Never, never, never give up."
From: Historical Figures Collection
64 mentor adoptions
James Madison
American Founding Era
Known for
Co-author of The Federalist Papers, emphasizing the importance of checks and balances and the prevention of tyranny.
From: The Federalist Papers
62 mentor adoptions
Seneca
Known for
Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist, author of the text.
From: Seneca's Morals of a Happy Life, Benefits, Anger and Clemency
60 mentor adoptions
Otto von Bismarck
19th century Prussia/Germany
Known for
Iron Chancellor who unified Germany through Realpolitik and strategic brilliance
Politics is the art of the possible
From: The Life of Bismarck, Private and Political: With Descriptive Notices of His Ancestry
59 mentor adoptions
Mahatma Gandhi
19th-20th Century India
Known for
Nonviolent resistance, Indian independence, and moral leadership
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
From: Historical Figures Collection
57 mentor adoptions
Florence Nightingale
19th Century England
Known for
Founding modern nursing through data-driven reform and tireless dedication to service
I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.
From: Lessons from the life of Florence Nightingale
51 mentor adoptions
Sir Ernest Shackleton
20th Century Ireland/England
Known for
Antarctic survival and bringing every man home alive
"Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all."
From: Shackleton's Last Voyage: The Story of the Quest
49 mentor adoptions
Martin Luther
16th Century Germany
Known for
Theologian and reformer who challenged the Catholic Church and sparked the Protestant Reformation
Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me.
From: Selections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther
48 mentor adoptions
Napoleon Bonaparte
18th-19th Century France
Known for
Military genius, Emperor, and architect of modern Europe
"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools."
From: Famous leaders among men
46 mentor adoptions
Abraham Lincoln
Known for
The measure of a leader is not avoiding conflict but navigating it with both principle and pragmatism.
From: Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete
44 mentor adoptions
Theodore Roosevelt
Known for
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.
From: Etiquette
44 mentor adoptions
G. Westinghouse
19th-20th Century America
Known for
Air brakes, AC power systems, and ethical business leadership
"If someday they say of me that in my work I have contributed something to the welfare and happiness of my fellow man, I shall be satisfied."
From: Historical Figures Collection
43 mentor adoptions
Queen Victoria
Known for
Duty must guide us even when—especially when—grief threatens to overwhelm.
From: Lessons from the life of Florence Nightingale
43 mentor adoptions
Auguste Escoffier
19th-20th Century France
Known for
Father of modern French cuisine and kitchen organization
"Good cooking is the foundation of genuine happiness."
From: A guide to modern cookery
42 mentor adoptions
Niccolò Machiavelli
Renaissance Italy (15th-16th century)
Known for
Political philosopher whose name became synonymous with cunning statecraft and ruthless pragmatism
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both
From: Machiavelli, Volume I
42 mentor adoptions
Columbus
15th-16th Century Spain/Italy
Known for
Discovery of the Americas and opening the Age of Exploration
"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."
From: The Life of Columbus: From His Own Letters and Journals and Other Documents of His Time
42 mentor adoptions
James Cook
18th Century England
Known for
Three voyages of discovery and mapping the Pacific
"Ambition leads me farther than any other man has been before me."
From: Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71
37 mentor adoptions
Otto H. Kahn
Early 20th Century America
Known for
Investment banker and arts patron who helped finance American industry and supported the Metropolitan Opera
The financier who merely knows how to make money is a poor financier indeed
From: High Finance
32 mentor adoptions
Marie Antoinette
18th Century France/Austria
Known for
Queen of France and symbol of aristocratic excess
"Let them eat cake." (Though I never actually said this.)
From: Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Complete: Being the Historic Memoirs of Madam Campan, First Lady in Waiting to the Queen
26 mentor adoptions
Alexander Hamilton
American Founding Era
Known for
One of the authors of The Federalist Papers, advocating for a strong, centralized federal government.
From: The Federalist Papers
21 mentor adoptions
John Marshall
18th-19th Century America
Known for
Fourth Chief Justice of the United States who established judicial review and shaped constitutional interpretation
It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is
From: The Life of John Marshall, Volume 3: Conflict and construction, 1800-1815
20 mentor adoptions
Ferdinand Magellan
16th Century Portugal/Spain
Known for
First circumnavigation of the Earth and proving the world's true size
"The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore."
From: The Story of Magellan and The Discovery of the Philippines
18 mentor adoptions
Krishna
Ancient India (Mahabharata era)
Known for
Divine teacher of the Bhagavad Gita on duty, dharma, and liberation
Do your duty without attachment to the fruits of action
From: The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ (from the Mahâbhârata): Being a discourse between Arjuna, Prince of India, and the Supreme Being under the form of Krishna
17 mentor adoptions
E.H. Harriman
Late 19th-Early 20th Century America
Known for
Railroad magnate who rebuilt the Union Pacific into one of the most efficient transportation systems in the world
The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets
From: High Finance
17 mentor adoptions