People I find Inspiring

I believe everyone has that one historical figure that really stuck with them and inspired them to kick some ass. For me, Napoleon is the one and only. He rose to the absolute top of the world from a mere soldier and influenced everything from education, egyptology, political systems to the way we think and eat today. At the end he was outsmarted by the great schemers of his time, but the legend still lives on.

Jack Dempsey was born into a poor family and lived his youth as a hobo doing whatever odd jobs he happened to find himself. After he began his career as a boxer he became something of a national hero and one of the biggest icons of his time. Even today he is considered something of an early model of a modern sportstar and fighter with hardcore attitude.

During the Great Depression he lost all of his fortunes and ended up homeless again, but thanks to his reputation and sheer will he managed to climb back up even higher than before, this time as a businessman and all around king of boxing.

Mike Tyson is a huge fan of Jack Dempsey.

David Goggins is one of the most hardcore human beings alive. He used to be a troubled young man with lots of issues, but when he decided to change it all, he really brought it. Today he is one of the top endurance athletes ever and a great motivator and inspiration for anyone with difficult time conquering their weaknesses.

I don't care what people say, I read every single one of his translated works and they did inspire me to start fixing my life for good. Martin Luther wasn't a fool, most of his works require the context to be appreciated, but on many ethical and spriritual matters he was so on point it's not even funny.

Personally I found his opinion on what he called "the core of all sin" the most striking of his writings, the point being that the core of all evil as he saw it was becoming a kind of hermit who abandons both the world and people for whatever selfish reason, basically turning one's back on the moral virtue of loving thy neighbour. He was obviously talking about all kinds of monks and hermits, but in our world it has a whole new meaning with people being socially and mentally alienated by their overconsumption of internet, porn and social media.

That's basically what happened to me. That was the number one problem of my life at the time.

Mariusz Pudzianowski has to be one of the most multi-talented men I have ever seen in my lifetime. He's one of the greatest strength athletes of all time, but he's also a great martial artist, a successful businessman and a gifted entertainer. This wholesome beast of a man just keeps on giving and I find his career and persona highly inspiring. I wish there were more good men like him in this world. If Tony Halme hadn't ruined himself with all the drugs and alcohol he could've been something like Mariusz.

Richard Williams was one of the greatest animators in the world, but also one of the best teachers ever. The man knew literally everything and everyone in the field, and his body of work is nothing short of amazing. Dick Williams alone inspired and taught some of the best animators since the 80's and his hugely risky efforts back in the 60's and 70's helped to keep the art of animation alive and even move forward until it exploded in the 80's. Dick also made Roger Rabbit and basically launched the renaissance of the 90's, making him one of the key figures of the entire decade and beyond.

Dorian Yates had a rough childhood and he ended up spending some time in a youth prison. The man was inspired by bodybuilding to not only fix himself from the scratch, but find meaning in life and start winning after winning. During his active career Dorian was known as an honest Englishman who didn't talk too much or show off his physique outside competitions, but when he did he almost always won big time from the beginning to the end of his career.

Whenever I need some push in my life, I always think about the machine that was Muhammad Ali. As far as I'm concerned, Ali didn't have that inspiring life story, but as an athlete the man was out of this world: Ali beat pretty much every great boxer there was at the time and still kept true to his own ideals. Many people remember him for his habit of boasting publicly, but Ali could almost always back the talk with real action. Ali was the greatest.

For me personally, Miles Davis was a living embodiment of creativity. Here's something to think about: Miles Davis did a lifelong career playing jazz, and he went through at least dozen transformations and personal re-inventions and helped to create and popularize whole subgenres of music. He never had this one niche he could settle and just keep repeating himself, but instead always ventured to the unknown territories and pushed all kinds of limits, even if fans and critics panned his work at the time. Miles just kept going his own way till the very end, even influencing popular trends with his late experimentation with pop and hiphop.

I feel ashamed of not including Klaus Schulze here sooner. His soulful and intuitive electronic music had a huge impact on my taste and personal growth. Despite playing solo synth music, I think Klaus could be compared to any improvisational jazz artist, because that's pretty much what he was all about, just the instrument and genre label were entirely different. Also, his influence on anything electronic that came after is just huge.

If Klaus Schulze was a giant of mainstream synth music despite being pretty cult musician himself, then Conrad Schnitzler was a giant of cult and even more extreme and obscure than Klaus ever was. Conrad was a genuine oddball mad scientist even among the experimental musicians, and he actually had balls to venture more uncomfortable and atonal regions of music. That's also why he became something of an inspiration for other extreme musicians, such as all the black metal kiddos from Norway and Sweden. You thought Burzum started experimenting with synth music by accident? Lol, nope. It was inspired by Schnitzler all along.

Jim Steinman was creative to the bone, man. During his youth he fell in love with musicals and developed his own style of writing music, that is Wagnerian rock and especially power ballads. Jim was a very eccentric and baroque personality who always wanted everything to be big and epic: his songs are usually closer to 10 minutes, there are choirs, massive melodramatic fantasy lyrics and the melodies go so over the top even Jim couldn't sing them. The man himself was a great speaker and performer, and he had a wonderfully wacky and childish sense of humour.

Some people love his over the top and cartoony style, some hate it with passion, but nobody can deny his unique influence on popular culture and the high quality of his work in general. For me personally, Jim Steinman was and is one of the greatest.

Joe Frazier deserves a spot here just because he was one of the few people that could compete with Ali as an athlete. Thrilla in Manilla was one of the greatest events in the history of modern sports, and Joe could have easily won the match hadn't it been ended prematurely.

Diogenes was like George Carlin of his time: he commonly used strange antics, eccentric humor and provocation to make people think and question their way of thinking. Plato, who famously hated him, called Diogenes "crazy Socrates" and he is still remembered today for his famous eccentricity and sense of humor. He has greatly influenced Western thinking through cynical school of thought, which served as an inspiration for more moderate Stoicism and Christian thinking.

Mike Tyson had a rough start, but once he made it big, the man was absolutely unstoppable for a certain period of time. After his problems with certain addictions and business partners began it all blew up eventually, but as far as I know, at his best Mike really was one of the greatest athletes in the world. I find his story and struggles highly inspiring, the man may not be in the best shape of his life now, but as far as I know, as the man's gotten older, he really has redeemed himself.

Ronnie Coleman taught me, that what really matters in life are legit merits and that respect really has to be earned. Nobody earned as much respect in bodybuilding world than Big Ron, and the man deserved every piece of it. As a person Ron is like an extreme workhorse, not only was he an inhumane mutant with ability to exercise like a lunatic, but he was also willing to sacrifice everything to get what he wants and despite all the shortcomings and health problems he's the nicest guy you'll ever see in your life. Ronnie also had a dayjob despite training on the top of the world just because he thought working was so much fun. That's just amazing.

Yeah, yeah, I know, but hear me out. Before Jordan Peterson became a cultural icon for the right wingers the man was known as a world class lecturer. His brilliant lectures regarding the psychology and the ethical side of classic literary works, art and religions completely opened my eyes for many joys in life I didn't even know existed. He got more political later, but the earlier stuff is where it's at. I still find them highly inspiring.

There's something about genuinely creative people that I really, really admire. If you look at Fripp's career for example, there is so much good stuff it feels unreal. Fripp is best known as the mastermind behind groundbreaking King Crimson, but he has also played with numerous other artists ranging from electronic music to pop and whatever sounds you can make with your instrument. He has also experimented with just about anything, created his own guitar tunings, etc. Clearly, Fripp is a great creative genius of our time. Also, he has a great sense of humour.

When it comes to classical music, I don't think any other composer has had so much impact on me as Johann Sebastian Bach. It's incredible to think how this man came from nowhere and managed to create such masterpieces out of thin air. According to Rick Beato he even briefly experimented with some of the stuff that didn't officially exist in his day but was invented only centuries after his time. Bach was so deep into his art that he could foresee these things and use them as he wished. That is some supreme creativity.

Ted Greene was like Dostoyevsky of guitar: there has never been as deep and thoughtful, yet so harmoniously perfect player on this earth. Ted was an eccentric and a hermit, who really didn't care about money or fame, even though he could've gained both more than most can even dream about. They say Ted had genius level IQ and Asperger, so he was pretty much obsessed with his work as a music teacher and theorist, the only record he ever released is the art of guitar honed to the absolute perfection. They also say, that Ted was a genuinely nice guy who wished his students to succeed.

Hernan Cortes remains one of the most divisive figures in history. Whether you find him inspiring or not, his incredible adventure and the destruction of Aztec empire remains one of the more fascinating stories I have ever heard.

There's really more to the story than just the cliche "bad conquistador" thing. Many natives saw Spanish as saviors from the brutal Aztec oppression and human sacrifice. Cortes didn't just kill and enslave randomly like you'd think from reading the more politically correct history books today. Instead he formed alliances with the local tribes and led the united rebels to the heart of their hated oppressor.

Even after the conquest the alliances mostly remained, and the loyal native tribes and kingdoms were granted special protection and privileges in the New Spain. Cortes himself remained absolutely loyal to his king even though he could've easily formed his own mighty kingdom with his native allies.

Probably the greatest ever novelist. In his youth Dostoyevsky took part in a revolutionary circle and was sentenced to death, but it was commuted to forced labor in Siberia and years of exile. During his prison years he found religion, which eventually fueled is creativity and thinking even further. His novels are some of the best ever written in style and depth, and his later thoughts on existentialism, ethics and humanity keep inspiring and influencing people all around the world to this day.

August von Mackensen was one of the greatest military leaders of WW1. What made him so special was his ability to climb up all the way to the highest positions in the whole German aristocratic society despite being born as a son of a peasant. Von Mackensen never forgot his humble roots, and despite being sometimes labeled as a Nazi collaborator, the man actually tried to use his authority to halt the atrocities and war crimes committed by some branches of German army, but to no avail.

One of the great genius artists of our time, an honest man with zero pretentiousness. Enjoying his works and listening to his interviews always give me some strange mystical energy that makes me feel incredibly happy and satisfied.

Allan Holdsworth was like Richard Williams of fusion jazz guitar: for Allan true creativity wasn't just about writing great songs, but also coming up with new ways to challenge oneself and improve one's skills to the impossible levels of mastery very few people have ever achieved.

Tom Platz is still remembered fondly for his great physique and especially the legendary quads that could still win some of the big shows anywhere and anytime. One thing casual fans don't necessarily know is that back in the day Tom Platz was a truly hardcore human being with some serious attitude and work ethics, the man was like Ronnie Coleman of the 1980's and it's a small miracle the man is still able to walk. I remember Arnold once writing in his book how he witnessed Tom doing his sick training routine and then hopping on his bike and going for a little marathon. The man was crazy, but awesome.

One of the great figures of the 70's jazz rock scene. Robert Wyatt played in multiple highly acclaimed bands and later continued his creatively highly successful career as solo. Wyatt his well known for the accident he suffered and left him partly paralyzed. It may have had an impact on his life and art, but it didn't manage to keep him down. That alone is to me highly inspirational achievement.

I may not fully agree with everything he's said over the years nor do I love every aspect of his personality. I do find him highly inspiring figure, nevertheless. Frank Zappa had this "just do it" attitude where he would just go and take whatever he wanted and get shit done. One thing he taught was that if you're really interested in something, don't go to school but library. Don't ever expect other people to know what you want or need, go do things yourself and get the best things out of your life no matter how much some people might hate you for being your zany and unapologetic self.

George Carlin was a powerhouse of provocative and thoughtful comedy. His trademark style was extreme blunt cynicism where he would rant about all walks of life: politics, money, language, etc. Controversies were his game, and he was even shut once from the radio for using naughty language. I personally think Carlin was always best live, just like any improvising artist. Very few stand up comics come even close to Carlin as far as I'm concerned.

Many people remember Paul von Hindenburg as a senile old man who made Hitler the dictator of Germany. In reality he was never senile and his achievements were far more important than his later flaws in politics. During war time he became a national hero and de facto leader of the empire, he lead Germany during the most difficult times and beyond, later becoming the president of the Weimar republic.

After reading his autobiography I think I like him as a person, even if he failed Paul von Hindenburg at least had some high ethics and belief in human value. Hindenburg tried to stop the Armenian genocide, but to no avail. He also condemned all kinds war criminals and terrorizing civilians in general.

Like many other great boxers, George Foreman came from impoverished neighborhood and had to beat impossible odds to make it to the top of the world. During his youth he was known as a man people loved to hate, a legit tough guy and monster. After years of struggle he came back and beat the odds again by winning the world championship, this time as a seasoned veteran and reborn Christian with keen interest in helping and inspiring people, especially children.

Ernst Jünger was a novelist, radical and revolutionary who fought in WW1 and later went on to fight for his romanticized militarist ideals in practice. Jünger was a kind of man who was completely suckered in by war and unlike many others felt it was the best thing in his life. In his mind militarism and nationalism weren't about black and white, robbing and terrorizing the innocent or random killing and hate, but about higher ethics, brotherhood and honour. Later during WW2 Jüng ended up facing the reality of the death of his ideals and go full pacifist.

Honestly speaking, I love at least some parts of Jüngs ideas. He was all about extreme masculinity, and as far as I'm concerned, his dislike of comfort, safety and modern liberal values are on point. I don't think there's anything toxic about this shit, except for the questionable authoritarian dictatorship part. That sucks. But you have to remember the context, since this was after they lost the war and were forced by the enemy to adopt this new unstable system after a long history of aristocratic and monarchistic rule their whole moral system and worldview were based on at the time.

Vespasian was a Roman general who ended the civil war and committed his late life to rebuilding the ruined empire and maintaining peace. Later generations remember him as a greedy old man, but he was also celebrated as a man of many high virtues and a very distinctive sense of humor. If it wasn't for him, the Rome could've been destroyed centuries before the Huns, etc.

The Lion of Africa was one of the greatest generals and men ever, never losing a single battle and even managing to invade a part of British empire during WW1. Lettow-Vorbeck lead the most successful guerrilla operation ever by holding hundreds of thousands of British soldiers from joining the European front with his army of barely ten thousand German and African guerrilla fighters. He was much beloved both in Africa and Germany.

The best is yet to come. When Hitler contacted Lettow-Vorbeck to get him back in the ranks, the man told Führer to go fuck himself. I'm not kidding, this is actually what happened. General Lettow-Vorbeck is the only man who could tell Hitler to go fuck himself and live to tell about it. Hitler never dared to bother this man again.

Jack Johnson was one of the first notable black athletes and one of the greatest boxers ever. He literally fought against all the imaginable odds to beat the system at its own game and became hugely influental figure among Afro-American people. Also, one of his trademark tricks was to give the racist system the finger by breaking all the ridiculous rules on purpose, for example by marrying a white woman. Back in the day that was nothing short of scandalous. At the end of the day the rigged system ruined his career with trickery, but the legend still lives.

There is this stupid stereotype, that all WW2 Germans worshipped Hitler and happily committed all kinds of war crimes and genocide without ever questioning their orders. Heinz Guderian outright refused to follow the criminal orders, at the end they didn't even bother sending him new ones. In his book Guderian tells how he went face to face with Hitler and fought with him for hours to get some sense into Führer. According to Guderian, Hitler lived in an illusion and absolutely didn't care if thousands or millions of his own soldiers froze to death without any reason.

Heinz Guderian wasn't just one of the greatest generals of his time, but also an honest man during an era of chaos and murder. And he stood against the devil himself.

Not just Robert, but also his two brothers Charles and Maxon. These people are utterly fascinating human beings, superbly smart and highly eccentric with incredible insight into their own psyche. Just listening to their thoughts on art and creativity expands my understanding of the subject matter more than most other artists ever could. Robert Crumb is also a great prolific comic book artist who made it big despite all the hardships in life.

Even though serving in German army during WW2, Erwin Rommel was a true professional who took his job seriously and acted honorably despite all the political leanings of the time. He was known as a chivalrous man who respected his enemies and treated even his prisoners well and in turn was respected. He was forced to commit suicide because Hitler suspected Rommel had involved in the failed assassination plot Operation Valkyrie. After the truth about his death and possible involvement became public knowledge, his reputation went even better all around the world.

The greatest ever samurai, military thinker and artist. In many, Miyamoto Musashi is a kind of figure I would inspire to be. His book on was strategy was written in a mystical on poetic form, so most people probably won't understand it without some guide. What he basically meant, was that a good warlord and a soldier needs to understand both social and cultural aspects, not just war itself. That's why many samurais and generals tend to be also very cultured people. His tactics are similar to Sun Tzu, but written in a difficult to read form. Completely timeless figure and school of thought.

Nicolino Locche was quite a personality. As a boxer he wasn't a strong hitter and his punches were pretty basic stuff, he was also a chainsmoker who sucked the deathsticks even during the fights. Nicolino was one of the finest defensive boxers of all time, at his best he was nearly completely untouchable and he even won the world championship with his unique and highly entertaining style. The man really had physical comedy in his blood.

Brilliant military leader, statesman and author, Julius Caesar was a man of many trades. He conquered both Gaul and the Republic of Rome and made them his image. Caesar was known for his benevolence towards his enemies, so no wonder when he got assassinated many of his killers were actually his friends. It is said that when many other leaders gained power just for the sake of power, Caesar gained power to accomplish his vision.

A hugely important figure in the modern cinema, Roger Corman made an art out of cheap schlock films and influenced generations of film makers all over the world. Corman also helped many prominent film makers like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme and James Cameron get their start in the industry. In many ways I highly respect his ability to create something good and entertaining from just about anything by sheer will power and hard work alone.

Pat Martino is the very definition of perseverance. He worked his way to the top of his game only to lose it all by brain injury and almost complete loss of his memory. Later he started studying his own work and managed to not only regain his world-famous skills but also hone them even further than before.

David Lynch was the last true artist of Hollywood. He was just a genuinely creative guy who created whatever he wanted and could, mostly with tremendous success if not in financial sense, then as an art. Other than just directed movies, Lynch was also a visual artist and released experimental music. At one point Lynch even had some negotiations with Jodorowsky regarding some co-project, but it was never realized.

Todd McFarlane's life is a huge roller coaster of success and misery. The man's great inspiration was his blue collar dad who did everything he could to support his family despite being constantly stomped and pushed by his bosses. McFarlane began his career writing and drawing Marvel comics and eventually created more creator driven Image Comics company along with few other prodigies of the art form, becoming a huge superstar. After establishing himself he started working with top writers of the world and broadening his business to TV, films and all kinds of merchandise, making him rich and even more famous.

Then the shit hit the fan. Neil Gaiman, a one time Spawn guest writer, wasn't happy with the fees he was paid and sued McFarlane, costing him millions in damages. At the same time Tony Twist sued McFarlane for using his name and forced McFarlane to declare bankruptcy, tarnishing his good reputation in the process. As the comic book sales were going down, it seemed like the game was up for him, but no. Recently he came back for a crowdfunding campaign for his new line of Spawn memorabilia, which ended up being a huge success, helping him launch his career anew. Since then his sales have been going up again and the man has regained his fortune.

Rasputin was a mystical charismatic figure from the early 20th century Russia. He had a reputation as a deviant and a drunkard, but as far as I'm aware, it's not really sure how much of his bad reputation is just gossip and attempt at character assassination. He was hated and envied by many, at the end he was shot multiple times by local aristocrats.

It's the mysticism surrounding his life and persona I find highly intriguing and inspiring. Maybe he was just a genuine religious man with a bad habit of drinking too much and seducing young women. You have to remember it's Russia we're talking about, not puritan America, so the local everyday culture is somewhat different.

Nietzsche is up there with Dostoyevsky, he even knew some Dostoyevsky's novels. What makes Nietzsche so interesting is his cryptic and highly irrational style of writing, which is endlessly fascinating to think about and try to crack. Even today I thought about his writings through the lens of Ernst Jünger and the great cultural conflict of the early 1900's, week ago I read a military strategy book and found some of the thoughts relating to something Nietzsche wrote about rising above the humanity. Nietzsche just sparks my thinking muscle any and every day.

Lee Kuan Yew was the man who created the economic miracle of Singapore and greatly influence China, making him one of the great political figures of the 20th century. I recently read and watched a bunch of his interviews, and the man was decades ahead of his time, like he perfectly imagined the world of 2020's and the challenges we would face and are facing right now.

According to Yew, our weak and incompetent leadership stems from our corporate culture where the best people go for the big money and all kinds of losers find themselves in politics. Meanwhile the internet and the media have changed the dynamics, making politics all about superficial optics and chasing trends. The modern day spoiled voters are being pampered and feel like their safety and living standards are completely given and self-explanatory, there's absolutely no respect for decision-makers. Thus we have such shitty leaders ruining everything, just like Yew told us back in the 80's and 90's.

This man was no pushover and I highly respect him for it.

Viktor E. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor, who was inspired by his experiences to develop a psychological theory fusing existentialism and deep psychology. If Dostoyevsky and other classical existentialists are your piece of cake, then Frankl should be on your list too. Frankl is one of the greats.

Jerzy Kukuczka was Michael Jordan of mountaineers. This man pretty much conquered everything and mostly did things the hardest possibly way during winter and using unconquered routes done minimal Alpine style without unnecessary safety equipment. All of this was accomplished in a world record time that was only broken decades later. His last adventure was to conquer an impossible route worthy of a king, full of falling ice and rocks, storm winds, extreme cold and inhumane hellish blizzard non-stop. He almost made it to the top, but due to an equipment malfunction ended up falling and losing his life.