Famous People Who Never Married From History That Prove Single Is Successful
Despite what literally every rom-com, bigoted relative, and commercial for jewelry stores tell you, being single is awesome. But did you know that it's also the drink of choice for so many successful and super influential people?
I'm not saying there's a correlation but... single people have been out here absolutely killing it and here's the proof to back it up. Spoiler alert: our modern world was built by singles in your area so don't let your relatives at the holiday dinner table make you feel bad about living and thriving on your own ever again.
Leonardo Da Vinci Decided He'd Rather Just Focus On Being A Genius
Leonardo da Vinci, you may have heard of him, the painter, sculptor, inventor, and all-around genius that made The Da Vinci Code books sell like hotcakes, was single his whole life. He did have a few close female relationships and it's suspected he may have been gay, but regardless, nothing is confirmed except for the fact he never married. I think he may have been busy.
Diane Keaton Feels "Free"
You may know her from The Godfather or the numerous other films and television shows she's starred in, directed, produced, and been nominated for awards for, but you should also know Diane Keaton is single and proud. Despite some pretty famous flings over her long career (Al Pacino to name one), she says she doesn't dream about men and "there's a kind of a freeing aspect to that."
A Literal Saint, Joan Of Arc, Was Single
Obviously it's standard procedure for religious and saintly figures to be unwed and chaste, but come on, when you lead a freaking national war in 1431 that you die as a martyr in when you're a 19-year-old woman you deserve a round of applause.
Ludwig Van Beethoven Never Heard The Music In Marriage
Ludwig van Beethoven, born around 1770, is a household name in music. His famous symphonies, concertos, and operas live on in movies and films from Dead Poet's Society to X-Men: Apocalypse, yet he never married. Researchers said it might be because he was extremely shy, but honestly, he was pretty successful and celebrated during his life so he probably just didn't want to marry.
Jane Austen, One Of The World's Most Famous Authors, Never Married
Jane Austen, the author of Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Sense & Sensibility, and many other incredible novels, was born in 1775 but never married. She did have one fling with an Irish lawyer, whose family sent him away because he had no money (imagine that today). Like a true self-assured boss, Austen tapped out of the whole dating game and focussed on her career.
Queen Elizabeth I Was Down For The Crown But Not For The Ring
Queen Elizabeth I ruled from 1558-1603 and did it all while being an absolute boss. She never married, nor wanted to, but since she had to produce an heir she auctioned off her virginity and said she's "rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married." Now if that's not a total boss lady quote than I don't know what is.
Coco Chanel Said "Nah" When A Duke Proposed
Coco Chanel not only pioneered modern feminine fashion, made one of the most successful fashion brands in history, and made black look so cool, but was also single and proud of it. Born in 1883, Chanel was a bit of a black sheep in strict Victorian society since she casually dated many men without ever settling down with one. She held true to herself and morals even when the Duke of Westminster proposed to her.
Oprah. Freaking. Oprah.
Not only is Oprah the richest African American of the 21st Century and North America's first black billionaire, but she's also unmarried. She and her partner Stedman Graham have been together since 1986 but never married, which Oprah doesn't seem too upset about since she's said her show is the "true love of my life."
All I Wanna Do Is Talk About How Cool Sheryl Crow Is
Sheryl Crow has been releasing anthems for years, but you'd be surprised to know she's a single mother to two wonderful adopted boys. Besides being a certified cool mom and an incredibly talented person, Crow does a lot of philanthropy work helping women fighting breast cancer, which she survived.
Father Of Calculus And Calculus Only, Isaac Newton
The man whose influential discoveries have helped form the basis of modern science and math, Isaac Newton, was rumored to have been a virgin despite being engaged once. Which, honestly, if you're going to invent the math and physics we're still learning in school today, then why change anything?
Besides Making The World A Better Place, Simone De Beauvoir Never Married Or Had Kids
Simone de Beauvoir, born in 1908, is known for her feminist theories, existential philosophy, and generally just being so cool and so so smart, but she also never married or had kids. She had a lifelong relationship with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, who was equally as brilliant, which apparently was quite the scandal students of hers would gossip about. I think it's safe to say this power couple never had kids to give the rest of us a chance to succeed, which we all appreciate.
The Wright Brothers—Yeah, The Super Fly Ones
Orville and Wilbur Wright were a little too busy designing and building the world's first "heavier-than-air" aircraft in 1906 to get married. Hey, when you're paving the way for all of us to be able to take our nice tropical vacations and helping build the modern world, it can be a little time-consuming.
Nikola Tesla Was Electrifying, But He Was Firmly Against Marriage
Nikola Tesla, born in 1856, once said he would never marry and that his chastity was very "helpful to his scientific abilities." Tesla would go on to make incredible ground-breaking discoveries with AC induction motors, wireless communications, and much more... so I guess he knew exactly what worked for him.
Florence Nightingale, The Lady With A Lamp, But Not A Ring
Florence Nightingale, born 1820, is the founder of modern nursing in the middle of an austere Victorian culture that didn't look kindly on women with careers—especially single ones. She was unmarried her whole life and dedicated herself to her work with a religious zeal, which may have helped people consider her healing and chastity as a spiritual undertaking.
Al Pacino Probably Didn't Have Time For A Wedding In Between Winning All These Film Awards
Al Pacino, the Hollywood all-star and all-around brilliant man who's received the Triple Crown of Acting awards and the AFI Life Achievement Award (to name a couple), surprisingly has never married. He has fathered three children and is in a longtime relationship with actress Lucila Polak, but he's never tied the knot.
Jeremy Wade Is An Adventurous Catch... That You'll Never Have
Maybe you're a fan of his show River Monsters or maybe you're a fan of the man himself, but Jeremy Wade is one fish that's not in the sea. He's expressed that he loves traveling solo through South America and Asia and that these single treks help him feel "properly alive."
Thoreau Preferred To Live By Himself, Which Was Probably For The Best
Henry David Thoreau was the original bad boy of English literature, preferring to live on his own in a cabin and write philosophy than live in 19th-century society. Just like he loved to go against the grain and civilly disobey, he never married, had kids, and was rumored to be chaste.
Voltaire Was No French Kisser
The French philosopher and all-around intellectual Voltaire didn't let the pressures and conventions of the 17th-century French society he was born into force him into marriage. He partnered with the philosopher and mathematician Émilie du Châtelet and together they read 21,000 books. Just. Wow.
Chelsea Handler's Relationships Are Always In The Spotlight
Comedian, one of Time magazine's most influential people, and most definitely one of the funniest people on TV and Netflix right now, Chelsea Handler, has always had her relationships in the public eye. She and Comcast CEO Ted Harbert broke off their relationship in 2010, and since then Chelsea's been dating, but not marrying. Not that she ever needs to or should feel like she should—she's on here because she's single now and awesome always.
Wilt Chamberlain Would Rather Play The Court Than Settle Down
Legendary L.A. Laker's basketball player Wilt Chamberlain was a player on and off the court—in a good way of course. This man claimed he had sex with over 20,000 women (holy crap), but never felt the desire to be anything more than single. Which we totally love and respect, but are curious how he found the time...?
