A quick quiz: What do the following people in common?

Leonardo da Vinci – painter of the Mona Lisa; designer of bicycles, musical instruments, flying machines; groundbreaking scholar of human anatomy

Benjamin Franklin – author of the Declaration of Independence and Poor Richard’s Almanac; inventor of the lightening rod and bifocals; diplomat

Bobbi Gibb – the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon; acclaimed sculptor and painter; published scholar in fields as diverse as epistemology and neuroscience; lawyer

Margrethe II of Denmark – reigning queen of the Danish throne since 1972; illustrator and translator of the Danish edition of The Lord of the Rings; costume designer of the Danish Royal Ballet

If you saw our post from last week, you might have already guessed it—they’re all Renaissance Souls!

As Margaret Lobenstine highlights in her book The Renaissance Soul, embracing 15th century Italian humanist thinker Leon Battista Alberti’s motto, “Man can do all things if he will,” can lead to an exciting, varied and fulfilling life and several career paths.