Richard Horowitz is known as a mentor to many people, especially in the Jewish community and among his life insurance company. Here, he explains how even the most successful people have had mentors, including the famous ones.

1. FA M O U S M E N T O R R E L AT I O N S H I P S T O E M U L AT E
C R E A T E D B Y R I C H A R D H O R O W I T Z

2. • It’s an important concept to remember that influential people
have been influenced by a mentor at some point in their lives.

3. • Mentors motivate us and set examples and benchmarks for us to emulate, reach,
and grow.
• Here are just a few famous mentor relationships that you can look at to help
discover who your own mentor was, is, or should be…

4. • First is Oprah Winfrey
and well-renowned poet
and political activist, the
late Maya Angelou.

5. • Oprah has referenced
Maya Angelou’s profound,
thought-provoking work
numerous times on her hit
talk show, stating:
“‘Mentors are important
and I don’t think anybody
makes it in the world
without some form of
mentorship,’” (Merrill, Top
25 Mentoring Relationships
Found in History).

6. • As a black female growing up in an age of intense segregation for
both race and sex, Maya Angelou became a voice for minorities
across the world, using her skills in language and the written word
to make an impact on many lives - one that has changed Oprah
Winfrey’s life forever.

7. • Next is the infamous musician Bob Dylan and
famous folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie, both
known for their powerful lyrics.

8. • Bob Dylan claims that
he listened to
Guthrie’s music all
throughout his high
school years and
eventually moved to
New York City to
befriend his idol and
learn from him.

9. • Both Dylan and
Guthrie played and
wrote music together
for as long as they
could, changing the
way lyrics can be
represented as a
political-poetic
standpoint, instead of
most music then that
emphasized vocal
skills.

10. • Bob Dylan released his
famous “Song to Woody”
in 1962 as an ode to his
beloved mentor.

11. • Another famous
mentor relationship
that you may not know
too much about is
abstract expressionist
painter Jackson
Pollock and his role
model, Thomas Hart
Benton.

12. • As both a painter and muralist known for his rhythmic use of paint,
Pollock left California and moved to New York to study under Benton.
• In almost all of his later works, you will notice Benton’s uncanny
influence on Pollock’s art.

13. • Last, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, one of the
most influential
leaders of the
transcendentalist
movement worked
very closely with,
and mentored, poet
and transcendental
writer Henry David
Thoreau.

14. • Upon Thoreau’s
graduation from
Harvard University,
Emerson’s work and
viewpoint on the
natural world was an
immediate topic of
interest, which
eventually lead to his
most famous piece
of literature, Walden.

15. • In conclusion, these famous mentor relationships are ones to
emulate and have undoubtedly sparked influence on other human
beings who may not have reached the same level of success as they
did, but have been substantially enlightened nonetheless.