Do You Recognize These Famous Quotes From History?

“Success is the moral loadstone that draws everything,” wrote French author Alexandre Dumas in an 1843 account of his travels in Naples. And Dumas knew something about the subject of success. He wrote some of the most popular international bestsellers of all time with his historical adventure novels “The Three Musketeers,” “The Man in the Iron Mask,” and others.

An educated and witty French socialite, Madame de Pompadour hosted salons in the 1740s that attracted central figures of the Enlightenment era. She drew royal attention, and was made the official mistress of King Louis XV in 1745. At court, she also served as the king’s adviser and was a patron of the arts. While she lived in palace luxury, she was aware of the movements that led to the “flood” of revolution in 1789.

Born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw in 1867, Marie Curie was a physicist who made many breakthroughs in the field of radioactivity, winning the Nobel Prize in both physics and chemistry. Her husband Pierre was also a scientist, and the two had not just a personal relationship but a professional partnership; together they discovered the elements of radium and polonium. Their daughter Eve wrote a biography of her mother, and quoted this motto in it.

Born a German noble, Catherine was chosen to marry the future Peter III of Russia when she was 14 years old. In 1762, she led a coup d’etat against her husband, who abdicated, and became empress of Russia. She ruled for 34 years, during which Russia became a military and intellectual power.

Nora Roberts is not known for having problems with blank pages. She has written over 200 novels across genres such as romance, suspense, and fantasy, making her one of the most productive writers in the world. She made this remark while describing her creative process in a 1997 interview with “USA Today.” She still publishes multiple books each year, some under the pseudonym J.D. Robb.

Mae West was an American actress known for her wisecracks and dry wit. Born in Brooklyn, she cut her teeth as a vaudeville performer before moving to Hollywood, where she became one of the most successful actresses on the silver screen in the 1930s.

At age two, Helen Keller experienced an illness that left her deaf and blind. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, taught her to communicate with sign language, and Keller proved an eager student. In 1904, she became the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college, earning a degree from Radcliffe College. She went on to write books and give speeches all over the world.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was a political force despite the gender inequity of her time. Her list of accomplishments is as long as it is impressive: She was passionate about social justice, championed many humanitarian causes, and helped to craft the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights.

German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein was working six days a week as a humble patent clerk when he developed his most groundbreaking scientific ideas — including the theory of relativity and E=mc² — by following his passion and curiosity. He went on to win the Nobel Prize for physics in 1921.

The full quote from Spanish artist Pablo Picasso reads, “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” Picasso retained his creativity throughout his life (1881-1973). He was renowned for his modern paintings, which experimented with cubism and surrealism.

Not much is known about Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu's life, though one legend says he spent 80 years in his mother's womb. His quote about great things having humble beginnings comes from his most famous work, “Tao Te Ching.” Written between the eighth century and the third century BCE, it is a fundamental text of modern Taoism.

A leader of America’s fight for independence, Benjamin Franklin was also an inventor and diplomat. He wrote this line in a 1789 letter to his friend and fellow scientist Jean Baptiste Le Roy, expressing his hope in the United States’ new Constitution.

Yankees slugger George Herman “Babe” Ruth certainly had no fear of striking out: The “Sultan of Swat" hit a total of 714 home runs during his career, including 60 home runs in the 1927 season alone (not to mention 59 homers in 1921 and 54 in 1920). He was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet” was first printed in 1603 and performed at the Globe Theatre in London. This line comes from a scene in which the king’s adviser gives his son Laertes some well-meaning but long-winded council before his trip to Paris. In the end, both characters die at the hands of Hamlet, who decides to be true not to himself but to the vengeful demands of his father’s ghost.

Pop art icon Andy Warhol has long been credited with this quote, which spurred the concept of “15 minutes of fame.” While there is some debate over whether Warhol actually coined the phrase, he is certainly the one who branded it, publishing the quote on a brochure he passed out at his exhibit in 1968.

Julius “Groucho” Marx achieved stardom in a series of zany comedy films with his brothers Chico and Harpo, and later on radio and TV, improvising witty jokes as the host of “You Bet Your Life.” Marx was convinced to join the Friars Club, a risque comedians’ fraternity. He never participated, and wrote this line in his letter of resignation.

Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde included this line in his 1892 theatrical comedy of manners “Lady Windermere’s Fan.” The now-famous quip is spoken by the character Lord Darlington while he’s flirting with the already-married title character.

Britain had already declared war on Germany in 1939, but when Adolf Hitler invaded the Low Countries on May 10, 1940, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned. Three days later, veteran politician Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons for the first time as Chamberlain’s successor. It was clear that the war would be hard for Britain, but Churchill vowed to fight for “victory at all costs.”

“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” Poet Robert Frost uttered this famous quote as a part of an interview he gave on his 80th birthday in 1954. He went on to say, "It always has. It always will. Don't forget that."

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said this famous phrase while on trial for corruption. Socrates argued on his own behalf, but refused to plead for his life after a jury found him guilty. Socrates' commitment to questioning everything cost him his life, but it also laid the foundations for Western philosophy.