Samuel Smiles
1812–1904 (age 92)
Biography
Samuel Smiles trained as an engineer before finding his singular voice as a writer and moralist; his insistence that industry, thrift, and personal responsibility could lift individuals and nations resonated deeply with Victorian readers. He cast a spotlight on unsung heroes of enterprise and urged citizens to cultivate their own talents.
His best-known volume, Self-Help, became a manifesto for aspiration, while subsequent biographies of inventors and reformers extended his belief in steady improvement; Brompton Cemetery holds the resting place of a man whose optimism still speaks to those who labour with integrity.