5 inspirational quotes from Wayne Dyer

When Wayne Dyer was in the third grade, he misheard a teacher who called him a “disturbing element” and thought he was being called a “scurvy elephant.”

The misheard rebuke became words of inspiration in the mind of the man who would become a best-selling self-help guru, inspiring millions, The Washington Post reported. On Sunday, Dyer’s Facebook page announced his death at 75 with a reference to the term.

“Wayne has left his body, passing away through the night,” the post read. “He always said he couldn’t wait for this next adventure to begin and had no fear of dying. Our hearts are broken, but we smile to think of how much our scurvy elephant will enjoy the other side.”

The cause of death was not immediately reported, but Dyer was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2009, NBC News stated. He claimed to have treated it with positive thinking, daily exercise and “psychic surgery.”