Many Humanists took great interest in the study of Latin classical thinking, and Humanism became known as the "new thinking". Secular thinking influenced many people to live their lives apart from their church, and live in the "here and now", so to speak. This had a great influence on today's society, where people are free to not be associated with any type of religion, and can gather many different things from different religions to form their own new way of thinking. .
The Renaissance was also a time when many people started to become business-minded. During the Middle Ages, usury, the practice of lending money to people and charging interest, was frowned upon. However, during the Renaissance, this practice became commonplace. Many people began to make money from lending out loans and collecting interest, and a considerable amount of riches was gained for many people. Italian bankers and merchants began to discover new ways to make and increase their money. This allowed many people to afford luxuries and move their businesses on to their offspring and relatives. This had a very important impact on society today, because many societies are more business and money conscious than ever. .
The great art of the Renaissance is never to be underestimated. Possibly the greatest impact on literature happened during the Renaissance with William Shakespeare. Shakespeare, an English man, wrote many plays that not only used flowery and beautiful language unlike anything before it, but also had themes that many people could relate to. Inside every Shakespearian play was a moral that anyone could identify with, with disregard to the person's social status. Shakespeare's influence on writing can still be seen today. Many of today's highly regarded plays and novels share the same themes and morals as some of Shakespeare's greatest works. .
The Renaissance brought on an age where a deeper understanding of nature and how the world works occurred.
