Jules Verne - The Author who taught me to think out of the box

Since I was a kid I was a 'difficult' boy. I was too energetic and naughty but one of the few things that could keep me quiet was reading. A teacher recognized that and suggested my parents to buy me books all the time and just leave them in my room. Since the age of ten I started reading at least one book a week and so far I don't remember myself reading less than one book a month and until the age of sixteen I never asked from my parents any other present than books.
I have many favorite authors but if I could pick my three favorite I would pick four:

• Jules Verne
• Graham Masterton
• Edgar Allan Poe
• H.P. Lovecraft

 Today is the birth anniversary of my first favorite author ever. Jules Verne was an inspiration for many people and among them,me. I spent countless nights imagine myself as a crew of Nautilus at 'Twenty thousand leagues under the sea' and as the sixth member(seventh if we count Captain's Nemo appearance)  of Cyrus Smith's at 'The mysterious island' party . The influence I got from his books was deeply and that influence is responsible for a great percentage of the way of thinking I have. It is also responsible for the countless trust I have in human nature and the power of will. His books taught me that imagination has no boundaries and many times thinking outside the box is a way of evolving as a person. It also taught me to respect different people and the various ways of thinking, made me to realize that sometimes what is good and bad depends many times from the position I am standing. It taught me so many thinks I could probably write a book about them. I certainly wrote countless essays about it through my school years and writing great essays is another thing Jules Verne's books taught me...
 The best way to end this subject I guess is to thank that teacher back in fourth grade of elementary school and of course my parents whom although they denied me many things in my childhood they never denied me books. Imagination to a kid is as important as food and as the quality of the food we serve our kids affects their growth so the quality of imagination affects their mental growth. Don't serve your kids fast food and hours in  front of a TV if you really love them just because that is easier, it will get back to you one day...