10 Inspirational Quotes by Very Dead People

1. "Wise men try everything once. Fear is no excuse for ignorance."
   - Xi Tai Lao (803-844); died discovering gunpowder

2. "Remember the little things. A brilliant sunrise fills me like no bread ever could."
   - Saint Lucia of Carvanne (942-964); starved to death

3. "When life turns dark, trust in your fellow man; they alone hold the keys to peace and enlightenment."
   - Father Pedro diCampagna (1402-1441); burned at the stake for heresy

4. "Smart men plan for the worst. Great men turn the worst around."
   - General Maxime de Tièmes (1774-1805); died when his army was decimated at the Battle of Deschamps

5. "Winners move first. Losers get leftovers. The rest are just cattle."
   - Lieutenant Mark Vardy (1838-1862); died in a failed ambush when he forgot to equip his troops with ammunition

6. "There is nothing in this world so awesome as a man exercising his knowledge. Immortality follows genius."
   - Winston Albertson (1890-1921); died of electrocution after bringing a light bulb into the bath to read

7. "If I stayed down like they told me, I'd never have been able to beat the odds."
   - Marcus Rayburn (1902-1928); died of a brain aneurysm during a boxing match

8. "Death holds no sway over a man who can put one foot in front of the other, and knows where he's going."
   - Louis "Tank" Williams (1917-1945); died falling off the gangplank upon arriving home from World War II

9. "Everyone has the potential to change the world, if they can see past the fads and focus on that which is truly great."
   - Wilbur Axelrod (1951-1997); died in poverty when his Laserdisc manufacturing company collapsed

10. "I find the will to succeed in the words and actions of the great thinkers of history. With their guidance, I am unstoppable."
    - Jamila Allidina (1979-2009); crushed to death when a library bookcase collapsed on her

11. "You can beat any odds if you try. The only thing holding you back is caution."
    -Brian Spaeth (1975-2008); exploded while filming motorcycle vs. helicopter climax to "Prelude to a Super Airplane" (2009, directed by Michael Bay)

12. "Fear is the body's way of protecting itself from the unknown. Beat that, and nothing in this world can stop you."
    - Piper Hawking (1835-1864); eaten while trying to domesticate lions in Africa

Know a great quote I missed? Which sounded most convincing? Let me know in the comments!