Escaping the madhouse

I love Nellie Bly - I’m fascinated by her and for good reason. A 23-year-old journalist, she committed herself in 1887 to an asylum for the insane so she could write about the condition of the facility and the treatment of its patients. Her expose, published in New York World, would forever change the way we treat the mentally ill in this country. The following year, she set out to best Jules Verne’s (albeit fictional) trip around the world in 80 days, and managed to pull it off in just 72 days.

I always have a comfortable feeling that nothing is impossible if one applies a certain amount of energy in the right direction. When I want things done, which is always at the last moment, and I am met with such an answer: "It's too late. I hardly think it can be done;" I simply say:

Nonsense! If you want to do it, you can do it. The question is, do you want to do it?

- Nellie Bly

There have been books and movies about her life, and I recommend them all. She never disappoints me. Who is someone you look up to? Who is someone in history you admire? Who is someone who moves you to take action?