Which may explain the pattern to their stories: a journey to self-empowerment and the enlightenment of self-sacrifice inspired by the light and wisdom of Maryam and Massoud.
His pioneering journey inspired Christopher Columbus and many other travellers.
A journey through Asia Minor in 1800 to join the British fleet at Cyprus inspired him with an interest in antiquarian topography.
Elizabeth Gilbert's spiritual journey in "Eat, Pray, Love" has inspired a tourism boom in Bali.
India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, was more effusive, saying Obama's "extraordinary journey to the White House will inspire people not only in your country but also around the world".
The journey inspired him to found a tour company, Sea Trek, that organises intrepid but relaxed cruises along the old spice routes.
The journey inspired her 2005 book Two in a Boat - The True Story of a Marital Rite of Passage.
(Aeneas's journey to the realm of the dead, after all, inspired Dante to make Virgil the experienced guide in his "Divine Comedy.")
Traditionally, supermarkets have placed such high-volume items at the back of the store in hopes that the journey may inspire other purchases.
These journeys inspired an almost novelistic sort of identification by listeners who heard their own sentiments reproduced in sound.