Dr. Jack Kevorkian: For standing up for Death With Dignity (He also assisted my Aunt Sue with her death). I am a strong supporter of Death With Dignity and want to get involved with changing Michigan laws.

Hillary Clinton: I am not a big a fan of hers but the "It Takes a Village" concept she made so public inspired me to get involved at all levels (family, community, world).

Suze Orman - For teaching me to "Stand in my truth"; I first applied this to my financial recovery and now apply this slogan to many parts of my life.

...nope.

1. Bob Fosse, director and choreographer. Now, as a person he was as cynical and self-destructive as you can get. But when I saw Pippin at 13, it changed my life: made me fall in love with musical theater and for the first time I found something I connected with. Being involved with musical theater saved my sanity during my teen years, and it's something I appreciate to this day.

2. Berkeley Breathed, creator of the comic strip Bloom County. I discovered this strip in the early 80's when I was going through a difficult time in my life. Before that, I could take or leave comics, but this just made me laugh out loud and it still does. And I identified so much with Opus the Penguin. I have almost every single compilation.

3. Eddie Izzard, comedian. Again, discovered him at a difficult time in my life. His insight and wit floored me and helped me appreciate the absurd in every-day life.

The fictional FBI agent Dale Cooper. I still give people thumbs up to this day. He was also extremely smart, yet did not use it to demean others (even easy targets). He understood people in an uncanny way that didn't give away all his cards. He was pure and honest, yet understood (to some degree) the deepest evils of humanity. He accepted when he was wrong instantly with a sincere apology and grace. He talked about Joy and Kindness openly, and people followed him with implicit trust and loyalty that was far beyond earned. He could turn a phrase, quote philosophy, reference history, while never being pedantic or conceited. He was a bit of a square, but still fit in the world seamlessly.

Dale was largely based on David Lynch himself, but not entirely. Insofar as they overlap, I suppose David fits the bill also.

And also Captain Picard. The depths of humanity from Picard and Cooper have stayed with me my entire life, becoming central guiding myths of my life. So much better than the bible.

Barak Obama has inspired me operate with dignity and class, even (or especially) when facing near constant obstruction.

Bernard Sanders has inspired me to be persistent in a persuit if equality and justice. Even (or especially) while being called into question regarding sincerity and sanity.

Donald Trump has inspired me to be anything but a Twitter troll bot/ con.

Sam Harris has inspired me to listen to my critics and honestly absorb what they're saying after being sure to understand what they're attempting to convey, as fully as possible, and without getting defensive.

While this may sound snarky in and of itself, it's far less incendiary than a part of me would sometimes like to express, on some points.

Lasting? Who's to say. In the grand scheme, best case I'll continue changing hopefully for the better, and won't be here more than a century total Max.

But I've been inspired to seek positive change much more frequently by members of my community.

Carl Sagan. He helped me think on a larger scale, and also to look beyond issues to the root of what's happening.

I haven't made changes at all based on any public figure.

In no particular order:

1. Keanu Reeves
2. Martin Luther King Jr.
3. James Hetfield

Darwin, Elvis, and Satan! Fuck yeah!

Not a one.

A combination of reading/listening to Bob Dylan, Douglas Adams, and Penn Jillette were probably the biggest influences in pulling me out of my conservative Christian brainwashing and admitting to myself I’m an atheist. I still had to do all the work/research/introspection myself but they were certainly inspirational.

R. Buckminster Fuller for his poetic examination of the future and fondness for efficient geometric solutions.

Christopher Hitchens, Ayn Rand and Sigmund Freud.

Carl Sagan, Marco Polo (hope he was not purely fictional), Harry Chapin.

Bob Dylan
Fritjof Capra (The Tao of Physics)

Can’t think of a third

I have found a handful of pubic figures encouraging in the direction I'd already determined to move in. Richard Feynman for example validated a lot of my ideas about pedagogy and a working theory of knowledge and about the importance of curiosity and how to give sound advice (including advice people would rather not hear). But I didn't wake up one day, wondering what to do with myself, and took revelation from Feynman about it. He just resonated with me because I was already exerting myself around those topics and had a general idea of what works and what doesn't based on my own experience and observation.

In fact I am generally leery of public figures and their tendency to live lives of privilege and luck and then palm off their half-baked ideas about life as profound or credible, when in fact, they're just vapid. I'm not looking to hear from people who are popular or wealthy or talented or powerful, so much as I'm looking to learn from people who have demonstrated good character and integrity and have thought long and hard about interesting things. These are the people worth emulating. Some happen to be known public figures, some operate in the shadows, largely unknown to the public. Others are known only in narrow verticals. I doubt most people here know who Gerald Weinberg is; he's another one I'd cite, but in the professional realm only. Margaret Hamilton is another giant in my field but is usually eclipsed in terms of fame by the same-named actress. These are the best "public figures", known not for looks or popularity but for actual groundbreaking accomplishments.

Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov

1. John Gardener, founder of Common Cause and member of the Kennedy cabinet.
2. Bobby Kennedy.
3. Erich Fromm, from his writings.

Linus Pauling gave me the words to articulate an accurate statement of my atheism and galvanized my beliefs.

Isaac Asimov inspired me to study how to write clearly, succinctly, grammatically, and above all accurately.

Gene McCarthy inspired me to step up and support causes that were not, at the time, widely accepted.

There are others, these come to mind right now.

I do not know how many here know about him.

Mohammed Zahiruddin Babur

What inspired me about him....

1. Perseverance
2. Born with exceptional academic abilities, highly intelligent, a great poet
3. Driven out of kingdom and on the run from age 14
4. Became a great military general and compassionate ruler of the time with patience, descipline
5. Never lost a battle afterwards
6. Conquered a land 5 times larger than his kingdom over a thousand miles across
7. Never committed indiscriminate violence, killing like his forefathers did
8. His dynasty ruled for the next 350 years

Not a single personality in the U.S. ever inspired me. I have not been able to relate to them. I have not been able to reconcile in my mind how men who owned slaves and continued to own for their lifetime and left children to own them further wrote magnanimous words in the U.S. Constitution like... "All Men are Created Equal"... ? But we call them heroes. I understand that all heroes are created locally through history books but a very few transcend cultures across borders to win admiration. Bolivar achieved so much but we hardly talk about him here. Reagan is bigger than Bolivar... lol

Jordan Peterson, David Suzuki, Christopher Hitchens.

Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Lauren, and Jennifer Anniston!

Not a one. My influences have been my family and friends.

Christopher Hitchens, Richard Feynman and the one and only William Shockley