Words of Wisdom — June 28, 2014

Cicero On The Importance of Knowing History

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

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A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.”

– Marcus Tullius Cicero

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A computer-generated image of a bright celestial object with an accretion disk, possibly representing what the sun looked like when it was born.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when the Sun was born?

It took 9.2 billion years of cosmic evolution before our Sun and Solar System even began to form. Such a small event has led to so much.

A bust of Marcus Aurelius placed next to a clock.

High Culture

Do you struggle getting out of bed in the morning? Marcus Aurelius can help

Like many of us, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius hated waking up early, but his stoic philosophy always helped him get out of bed.

A diagram of a galaxy with a blue circle representing the first atoms in the middle.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when the first atoms formed?

The first elements in the Universe formed just minutes after the Big Bang, but it took hundreds of thousands of years before atoms formed.

The Past

In ancient Rome, only one person was more powerful than the emperor

Long before the birth of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic appointed all-powerful dictators to protect their state in times of crisis. They were remarkably self-restrained and obedient to the Roman Constitution.

A black and white photo of a man with his hand on his head.

High Culture

Meet the 3rd bestselling poet in world history

He is only out-sold by William Shakespeare and Lao Tzu.

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A Call For Better Sex Education in Chinese Classrooms

A recent New York Times editorial detailed the rampant issue of child sexual abuse in China and the dire need for the government to better educate its population.