"What do our ancestral scholars, whom we consider the wisest and most spiritually advanced, have to say to us today?" asks Dyer. The answer lies in this powerful collection of writings, poems, and sayings by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twenty-five centuries. In succinct original essays, Dyer sets out to explain the meaning and context of each piece of wisdom, and, most important, to explain how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives. From sixty ancestral masters – Buddha, Michelangelo, Rumi, Whitman, Jesus, Emily Dickinson, and Emerson, among others – here are treasured passages on a variety of subjects, including solitude, time, and passion. Among the contributions are words on inspiration from Pantanjali, author of the Hindu classic Yoga Sutras; teachings about the power of prayer from 13th-century monk St. Francis of Assisi; and thoughts about the importance of action written by Mother Teresa.