Esperanto has certainly convinced a lot of common people, as you can read in the testimonials. But what about famous people? What is their stance on Esperanto?

Leo Tolstoy: "Six years ago I received an Esperanto grammar, vocabulary, and articles written in the language. After not more than two hours' study I was able, if not to write the language, at any rate to read it freely.... I have often noted how men are brought into unfriendly relations merely through material hindrance to mutual comprehension. The learning and spreading of Esperanto is therefore undoubtedly a Christian movement, helping to create the Kingdom of God, which is the chief and only aim of human life."

J. R. R. Tolkien: "My advice to all who have the time or inclination to concern themselves with the international language movement would be: 'Back Esperanto loyally.'" (read his full evaluation)

Jules Verne: "The key for a common language, lost in the Tower of Babel, can only be found in the use of Esperanto."

Humphrey Tonkin: "Ultimately Zamenhof's language [Esperanto] was and is more than a proposed solution to the language problem: it is an attempt to confront the spirit of inequality, of intolerance, of hatred that is tearing apart our beautiful world."

Stalin: "[Esperanto is] the language of spies."

Adolf Hitler: "As long as the Jew has not become the master of the other peoples, he must speak their languages whether he likes it or not, but as soon as they became his slaves, they would all have to learn a universal language (Esperanto, for instance!), so that by this additional means the Jews could more easily dominate them!"

Martin Bormann (chief of staff of Hitler's deputy): "Because the creation of an international hybrid language contradicts the basic concepts of National Socialism and ultimately can only serve the interests of supranational powers, the Führer's deputy forbids all party members and members of organisations affiliated to the party to belong to all forms of artificial language associations."

God: unfortunately Esperanto hadn't yet been invented in the time of Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad and so on, so that they could have recommended it. However, since Esperanto pursues the dream of universal peace and understanding and openly preaches tolerance, many people believe that they and God would be in favor of Esperanto. In fact, most prophets born after the creation of Esperanto support the idea of a universal language that would be everybody's second language and some go so far as to advise their followers to learn it.

Pope John Paul II: "The Holy Father sincerely greets the organisers and participants of the 78th Esperanto Congress and encourages them to continue their most honourable efforts for a world in which understanding and unity reign. At the same time the Holy Father asks you to make this meeting of people from different countries, cultures and denominations, who speak the same language, a witness of that brotherhood which should reign without any form of discrimination among all human beings as members of the great family of the children of God, and which encourages personal and collective compromise in order to build peace in their respective homelands. With these sentiments and asking for God's protection on the work of the congress and its participants, the Pope gives the desired apostolic blessing."