I’m inspired by these people and their work. They’re listed in no particular order, and for the most part they are teachers, artists, and storytellers.

Alan Ball

Alan Ross

Alexis de Tocqueville

Alice Munro

Alice Stewart

Alistair Cooke

Alonzo Lines

Audrey Hepburn

Barack Obama

Bill Murray

Bill Strickland

Bjork

Bob Geldof

Brian Eno

Cameron Sinclair

Camille Paglia

Cate Blanchett

Catherine Devlin

Catherine Keener

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles Lamb

Chicken John

Chris Corrigan

Christopher Alexander

Dave Olsen

David Attenborough

David Richo

Declan Kiberd

Delia Smith

Dervla Murphy

Douglas Rushkoff

E.B. White

Edward Abbey

Elizabeth David

Elizabeth Gilbert

Elvis Costello

Emmylou Harris

Fr. Hugh Fagan

Frances McDormand

Franz Lanting

Garrett Fitzgerald

General Romeo Dallaire

George Dyson

George F. Kennan

George Orwell

Gerrit Van Gelderen

Harold Lloyd

Henry David Thoreau

Hilary O’Farrelly

Howard Gardner

Howard Schultz

Jack Kornfield

James Joyce

Jane Jacobs

Jessica Mitford

Joan Didion

John Lennon

John Peel

Johnny Cash

Jonathan Ives

Jonathan Kozol

Jonathan Raban

Joseph Campbell

Keith Yamashita

Kirsty McColl

Kurt Andersen

L.M. Montgomery

Lee Thorn

Lillian Hellman

Lola Montez

Lou Reed

Madame de Stael

Marian Finucane

Marty Ashby

Max DuPree

Michel de Montaigne

Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi

Natasha Banta

Nell McCafferty

Noel Browne

Norman Lear

Norman Lewis

Novice Phon

Nuala O’Faolain

Oprah

Pat Tobin

Patrick Collison

Paul Durcan

Paul Newman

Paul Smith

Peter Kramer

Pierre Omidyar

Ray Davies

Richard Avedon

Rick Vosper

Robert Altman

Robert Doisneau

Robert Hall

Robert Putnam

Roger Straus

Samantha Power

Scott Heiferman

Scott Simon

Sean Ahern

Sean O’Faolain

Serge Gainsbourg

Sofia Coppola

Steve Earle

Stewart Brand

Studs Terkel

Sunny Balzano

Tavis Smiley

Terrence Howard

Tim Vetter

Tina Fey

Tracy Kidder

Tucker Nichols

Twyla Tharp

Van Morrison

Villy Wang

William Shawn