| Author Name | Profession | Nationality |
| Yahya Jammeh | Politician | |
| Yasmeen Ghauri | Model | Canadian |
| Yasunari Kawabata | Novelist | Japanese |
| Yo Yo Ma | ||
| Yoshida Kenko | Author | Japanese |
| Yousuf Karsh | Photographer | Canadian |
| Yuan T. Lee | Scientist | Chinese |
| Yukiya Amano | Public Servant | Japanese |
| Yunjin Kim | Actress | South Korean |
| Yunus Emre | Poet | Turkish |
| Yuri Gagarin | Astronaut | Russian |
| Yusef Lateef | Musician | American |
| Yves Saint Laurent | Designer | French |
“I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.”
“The witty woman is a tragic figure in American life. Wit destroys eroticism and eroticism destroys wit, so women must choose between taking lovers and taking no prisoners.”