Thought Through the Centuries

Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) was the Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, and was the last of what are considered The Five Good Emperors of Rome. Notable achievements during his reign include defeating a Parthian Empire, winning the fight against the Samaritans' in the Macromannic Wars, and chronicling his views on stoic philosophy in personal journals now referred to as Meditations.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-nineteenth century. Although he began his career as a Unitarian minister, he gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the philosophy of transcendentalism instead. Seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, he disseminated his thoughts through published essays and public lectures across the United States.

Oliver Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) was an American self-help author. His best-known book Think and Grow Rich is among the 10 best-selling self-help books of all time. Born poor in a small Appallachian town in Virginia, Hill experienced several failed startup ventures before his first book, The Law of Success (1928), became a major success. After the Great Depression depleted some of his wealth and his second book was a commercial failure, Hill rebounded in 1937 when Think and Grow Rich became a best-seller. Hill's works hold that belief in one's expectations are essential to improving one's life.

James Anderson Foster is an award-winning audiobook narrator who has recorded titles in nearly every genre. Praised for his ability to sound exactly like the voice you were imagining in your head, he has won or been nominated for every major award in the audiobook industry and was one of those kids who actually lettered in drama way back in high school. Born and raised on the west coast, he lives in the Midwest but still considers Oregon home.

Phil Paonessa is a U.S. Army Veteran of the Vietnam era who works as an automotive-industry project engineer, a public speaker, an actor, a voice actor, and, formerly, a local-newspaper feature writer. The father of three adult children, he is a lifelong resident of Michigan, where he currently resides with his wife.

Jim Seybert has been narrating stories for nearly sixty years. He anchored radio news broadcasts from 1974 through 1992, led marketing for a nationwide group of independent bookstores, and is the PA announcer for a Collegiate League baseball team. In addition to narrating, he has published two books on leadership. He and his wife make their home in Arroyo Grande, California.