Here is a detailed and comprehensive list of famous and successful men who practiced or advocated for semen retention, along with quotes or insights regarding their practice:
1. Nikola Tesla
Occupation: Inventor, Electrical Engineer
Practice: Tesla was known for his celibacy, believing it contributed to his intellectual powers and creativity. He deliberately avoided romantic relationships and sex, thinking it would distract him from his work.
Quote: “I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men.”
2. Muhammad Ali
Occupation: Professional Boxer
Practice: Ali, known for his strict discipline, practiced semen retention before fights, believing it gave him more energy, strength, and focus. It was a common practice for him to abstain from sex for weeks leading up to a match.
Quote: “I’m staying away from the girls. No girls, no sex, no nothing. It’s been six weeks now. Sex makes you weak.”
3. Steve Jobs
Occupation: Co-Founder of Apple
Practice: Steve Jobs was known to practice various forms of Eastern spirituality, including Zen Buddhism. It’s widely believed that he followed practices that emphasized control over sexual urges, contributing to his focus on innovation and creativity.
Insight: In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, there are hints that he explored tantric sex and forms of energy conservation that likely included aspects of semen retention.
4. Mahatma Gandhi
Occupation: Indian Activist and Leader
Practice: Gandhi was a strong advocate for Brahmacharya, the Hindu concept of celibacy and semen retention. He believed in controlling sexual urges to conserve energy for spiritual and political purposes.
Quote: “I must reduce myself to zero. So long as a man does not become one with God, he must retain control over the smallest details of his life.”
5. Mike Tyson
Occupation: Professional Boxer
Practice: Tyson, during his prime, abstained from sexual activity for five years, attributing his ferocious energy and success in the ring to semen retention.
Quote: “I did not touch a woman for five years before that fight. I had to remain focused. I was determined to be the best.”
6. Immanuel Kant
Occupation: Philosopher
Practice: Kant is thought to have lived a celibate life, not marrying or engaging in sexual activity. His focus on intellectual rigor and philosophical work dominated his life. Though no explicit writings on semen retention exist, his abstinent lifestyle is well-documented.
Insight: Kant believed that sexual indulgence could cloud judgment and distract from intellectual pursuits.
7. Leonardo da Vinci
Occupation: Polymath, Painter, Inventor
Practice: Da Vinci is believed to have been celibate for much of his life, focusing his immense creative energy on his inventions, art, and scientific explorations. He viewed the conservation of sexual energy as a way to channel it into his prolific creative works.
Insight: He once commented that sexual activity “distracts from the pursuit of intellectual and artistic endeavors.”
8. Swami Vivekananda
Occupation: Indian Monk, Philosopher
Practice: Vivekananda was a strict advocate of Brahmacharya (celibacy and sexual abstinence). He emphasized that controlling sexual urges allowed for spiritual growth and mental focus.
Quote: “The Brahmacharya, by its virtue of semen retention, controls the loss of energy, leading to immense power and concentration of mind.”
9. Isaac Newton
Occupation: Mathematician, Physicist
Practice: Newton is known to have lived a life of celibacy. He devoted himself entirely to scientific work and intellectual exploration, believing that sexual indulgence would diminish his intellectual capacities.
Insight: Though there are no explicit writings on semen retention, Newton’s celibate lifestyle suggests his belief in conserving sexual energy.
10. Joseph Pilates
Occupation: Founder of the Pilates Method
Practice: Pilates believed in the conservation of vital energy, advocating that sexual abstinence helped preserve vitality and strength.
Quote: “I don’t waste my energy on women; I channel it into my exercises and health.”
11. David Haye
Occupation: Professional Boxer
Practice: Like many athletes, Haye practiced semen retention in preparation for his boxing matches, believing it kept him sharp and strong.
Quote: “When you’re training, you need every bit of energy in your body to be efficient, and sexual activity drains a lot of that.”
12. Mike Cernovich
Occupation: Author, Filmmaker
Practice: Cernovich has spoken about the benefits of semen retention in his work on personal development, advocating that it helps men develop mental toughness, focus, and drive.
Quote: “When you retain your semen, you build a reservoir of energy that can be redirected to achieving success in any field.”
13. William Shakespeare
Occupation: Playwright, Poet
Practice: While not explicitly known to practice semen retention, scholars believe Shakespeare often expressed disdain for excessive sexual indulgence in his writings. Some of his works suggest a belief in the power of abstinence to maintain mental clarity.
Quote: “The expense of spirit in a waste of shame is lust in action.”
14. Jean-Claude Van Damme
Occupation: Actor, Martial Artist
Practice: Van Damme has been quoted as advocating for periods of sexual abstinence during intense training and preparation for films, attributing it to an increase in energy, focus, and discipline.
Quote: “Sometimes you have to channel your energy and abstain from sex to focus on bigger goals.”
15. James Brown
Occupation: Musician
Practice: The Godfather of Soul was said to practice abstinence during recording periods, believing it helped him channel his creative energy into music.
Quote: “I needed all my energy for the music. I saved it up so I could let it all out on stage.”
These men believed in the power of conserving sexual energy to enhance their focus, creativity, spiritual growth, or physical abilities, leading to their success in various fields.