2000 FACTS

Matter doesn't enjoy great prestige in our scale of values. We are so persuaded by platonic reminiscences and we consider the matter as the last tier of reality, an abstract to look at with contempt. If we change the word into an adjective, it gets even worse. To call someone a "materialist" is an insult in almost the entire world. The adjective "materialist" always involves the reproach of the selfishness, of the lack of altruism, of the kingdom of the interest above any other consideration. All of this, despite always carrying with us a precious load of matter that we call "body". Although it is true that in this case, we talk about living matter. There is even an inferior tier, the inert matter, for example, the minerals, those bodies that have never been alive. Tabela VIII from De Sphaera estense - Cristoforo de Predis (1460 circa)

John C. Maxwell (1947) is a public speaker, educator, and author of several books about leadership and personal development. He has written, in fact, more than 50 books, having sold millions of copies all over the world, some of them have even appeared in the bestseller lists of the New York Times. Among others, stands out: "The Power of Influence", "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership", "Developing the Leader within You" and "25 Ways to Win with People". John C. Maxwell - Leadership Mentor

The most obvious dimension of the objects that surround us is the length. To measure it, taking a pattern length as a unit is enough. The election is arbitrary and every extension could be used. For example, the foot size. If we walk from one edge of a room to the other, making sure that the heel of the right foot always touches the end of the left one and always walking on a straight line, we should know how many feet are from one wall to the other. But if a friend does the same thing, we shall obviously find some differences: he likely has larger or smaller feet than yours and, therefore, the result of the measurement won't be the same. The room would have more or less feet of theirs than ours. Imagine that this example is repeated by many different people, so each measurement would be different. So, due to these discrepancies, it is required to have a "foot" of reference, a patterned foot. "Use of the New Measures"

Brian Tracy (1944) is a public speaker, coach, and writer on topics related to personal development. He has worked with more than a thousand companies from different economic sectors and he has carried out hundreds of seminars. He is the author of multiple books, like "Eat That Frog!", "Kiss That Frog!", "Psychology of Selling" and "No excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline". Some of his most popular quotes, which we will proceed to analyze are the following: Brian Tracy, Motivational Speaker

Oprah Winfrey (1954) is a tv hostess, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She has won on several occasions the Emmy award for her show "The Oprah Winfrey Show", the most successful tv talk show in history. According to Forbes magazine, she was the richest African American person of the 20th century and the only black person who has possessed a net worth of more than 1 billion dollars for 3 consecutive years. She was also the most powerful woman in 2005, according to the same publisher. Life magazine has classified her as the most influential woman of her generation, and Time magazine has included her in the list of the 4 people who have given shape to the 20th century and early 21st century. In 2005, the Business Week magazine called her the most relevant African American philanthropist in the history of the U.S. And, in 2010, Forbes magazine categorized her as the most influential famous woman in the world. Her biography is in the book "Oprah: A Biography",

There's no other daily experience as common as the movement of the sun. That displacement of Helios, the king star, across the sky indicates us the time of the day, and this way we distinguish the morning sun, which shines in a fresh and stimulant environment, from the midday sun, which nails its rays with all its strength, and from the melancholic sun in the sunset. Who hasn't got moved by a sunset's beauty? In our everyday-life language we talk about the "sunrise", "sunset"; we get interested in the cast shadows that the star produces, in order to protect us from its rigors; we admire the sundials because their gnomon keeps track of the time and we look for the beauty of its light which morphs differently in each corner of the planet. For millenniums, and even up to this date, the sun has been ruling the world with its solemn and formidable march. Map of the World - Martin Waldseemüller, 1507

Carlos Slim (1940), a Mexican businessman and philanthropist, is considered by Forbes Magazine the 5th world's richest man, having reached the first position from 2010 to 2013. A civil engineer, from an early age, started investing in different businesses. In the early 80's and in the middle of a crisis that paralyzed the Mexican economy and which produced unprecedented capital leaks, Slim made huge investments in the country, acquiring several companies. The businesses of Slim are part of the Mexican conglomerate (owned by Slim) called "Grupo Carso", employing around 250,000 people directly and more than 500,000 indirectly. He has been awarded and decorated several times. Carlos Slim Helú