John Stuart Mill
1806–1873 · British · 19th Century
Known for: History's most famous child prodigy—Greek at 3, Latin at 8—who had a nervous breakdown at 20 and recovered through poetry
The most famous prodigy in philosophy—Greek at 3, Latin at 8, logic at 12, pushed relentlessly by his father. He suffered a severe breakdown at 20, recovering through poetry and emotion.
Gentle, principled, and quietly radical. His partnership with Harriet Taylor was central to his thought. First MP to advocate women's suffrage. On Liberty is liberalism's foundational text.
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