The society in which we live has been, and continues to be, inspired by visionaries and heroes from all walks of life: activists and artists, athletes and writers, inventors and explorers, healers and politicians, musicians and moguls. Our world’s visionaries and heroes challenge assumptions, push boundaries, and inspire the ordinary to become extraordinary, thereby shaping our world each and every day.

Starting with January 1 and arranged by birth date, A Gift of Days highlights the words and ideas of 366 noteworthy figures – including Shakespeare and Steve Jobs, Jackie Robinson and Billie Jean King, Beethoven and Buzz Aldrin, Abraham Lincoln and Maya Angelou, Blessed Mother Teresa and Oprah, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi – to motivate and inspire readers of all ages to become heroes and mentors themselves, the kind of people who nurture and shape the very best of our culture and society.

With resounding words of wisdom, a stunning selection of portraits, short informative biographies of the visionaries, and an illustrator’s note, A Gift of Days celebrates the society of which we’re all a part and reminds us that we each have the potential to change the world every day of the year.