Andrew Zuckerman’s “Wisdom”

“The greatest gift one generation can give to the next is wisdom.”

That’s how filmmaker and photographer Andrew Zuckerman describes the motivation behind The Wisdom Project — a project that compiles life lessons from great individuals into a book, a documentary and an exhibition.

The project includes words of wisdom, personal insight and advice from 51 star-studded, high-profile authors, artists, world leaders, and religious leaders whom are all above the age of 65.

Participants such as Nelson Mandela, Willie Nelson, Rosamunde Pilcher, Desmond Tutu, Clint Eastwood and Judi Dench cover issues of work, the environment, love, and conflict resolution. Here are some words of wisdom for us all to relish:

“Your best work is your expression of yourself, you may not be the greatest at it but when you do it you are the only expert in it.” – Frank Gehry, world-renowned architect

“You cannot control people by fear because the ultimate essence is constantly craving dignity, and the human being has a need for dignity, like water or air.” – Wole Soyinka, poet and writer

“You don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to be an army, if you find yourself in a situation that needs to be changed, if you’re willing to offer your life for it, you might actually get something done.” – Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer and social activist

“I think Love is the most important thing.” – Ravi Shankar, composer and musician

It’s time again we start to listen to our elders, the ones who have lived life and been granted that precious knowledge: Wisdom.

—Gurvinder Kaur