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Sir Roger Bannister

Middle-distance runner and neurologist; first man to run a mile in under four minutes

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here
there was already an area of research, the autonomic nervous system, which was relatively neglected. It was between cardiology and neurology, and these areas in between are often the province of neither specialty, and so can lag behind. And that was the area I chose and this changed the second half of my life, if you like, because I then set up a laboratory.

Academy of Achievement interview, 7 June 2002 source ↗

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Abraham Verghese Physician and writer; professor at Stanford University
And so, I went to Texas Tech El Paso. I could literally throw a stone out of my window and hit someone in Juárez, Mexico. And yet, it was the most beautiful place to practice, because in that county hospital we saw everything in young people, untreated; it felt very meaningful, but my evenings were mine to write and to develop my voice, and my weekends were mine. And I eventually got hired to Stanford in a roundabout way, largely because of that.
Recorded Krista Tippett, On Being with Krista Tippett, Stanford University, 4 April 2019 source ↗
Stephen Sondheim Composer and lyricist for the musical theatre
Musicals are plays, but the last collaborator is your audience, so you've got to wait 'til the last collaborator comes in before you can complete the collaboration.
Recorded N/A, N/A, N/A source ↗
Tadao Ando Architect; Pritzker Prize laureate, 1995
I would like my architecture to inspire people to use their own resources, to move into the future.
Recorded Anonymous, Online Quote Compilation, FavQs, 10 July 2026 source ↗
Andrew Young Civil rights leader, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Atlanta
I knew what I had done wrong. I had followed the experts and put the money I had in television. The second time around I spent almost no money on television. The only money I spent on television, I spent on Ted Turner's station, late at night on something called Creature Feature and wrestling. Because those were things that I knew people looked at. But we spent most of our money organizing people door-to-door.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 28 June 1996 source ↗

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Question How has a setback or failure set you up for later success? Failure & regret
I had set my mind on winning the 1500-meter gold medal in Helsinki in 1952. ... And, it all came disastrously wrong when I came fourth instead of winning. ... Instead of retiring in order to devote myself to medicine, I decided to go on for another two years while I was still a student, working clinically in London, and I did that.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 7 June 2002 source ↗

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Tanni Grey-Thompson, Arvid Carlsson, Tony Cragg, Abraham Verghese, Tadao Ando, Yaa Gyasi

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