Humans have long since been fascinated by pearls, and mollusks have produced them throughout evolutionary history. Romans thought they were frozen tears of the Gods, Greeks attributed them to lightning strikes at sea. They were commonly dedicated to Venus, Goddess of love & beauty. Alexander Severus, born in Africa and not to be confused with Severus Snape from Harry Potter, reportedly hung pearls in the ears of a status of Venus. They're known as the Queen of Gems... but what causes a pearl?
It's my belief that individuals have been quoted since mankind first developed spoken language... and not just those who were considered wise either. In this follow-up to "On Being Authentic: A Tale of Two Women," I"ll share 10 quotes with the goal to inspire you (and myself) to work towards being a better person.
"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful." -Marie Curie
Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor Monarchs, daughter to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was born September 7, 1533 in Greenwich, England. Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree, a slave in Hurley, New York. While her exact date of birth is unknown, it's believed to have been around 1797.
What exactly is a bead? One definition offered by Merriam Webster is "a small piece of material pierced for threading on a string or wire (as in a rosary)." Throughout history, they've been used for spiritual/devotional purposes, as worry beads, gaming beads, for medicinal purposes, and as a form of currency. They're considered to be one of the oldest forms of trade in history.
