The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women

Kudos to Jay Allison and Dan Gediman for reviving this great Edward R. Murrow radio series on PBS and now putting the essays in book form. In our current times of war and hunger, this book puts a heart warming touch on life and makes it seem so much brighter. A must read.

If you expect anything of use or of practical value in your life,save your money.
Primarily, it seem to be a forum for writers' to show off their style with little
regard for their readers. Perhaps they thought it would impress the editors.
After reading "Five Secrets you Must Discover Before You Die" and Tom' Brokaw's
"The Greatest Generation", this was a terrible let down.

You should definitely approach this as an audiobook, since it's a compilation of recorded statements of belief. There are a few fixed rules to this series of speeches that drive their particular content; that's critical. Once you get a hold on the specific 'flavors' of value-statements within this series, it becomes relatively easy to follow.

At that point, however, the quality of the content becomes hit or miss. The editors did an excellent job of choosing a wide range of speakers, famous and ordinary, successful and still struggling. That said, quality comes and goes. You find yourself delighted by a few of the more simple, homegrown insights in this series, but also appalled by a few of the more outlandish, bland and pathetic perspectives that you realize the speakers have spent *decades* honing. I won't name names, that's unnecessary bias on my part.

If it works with your particular set-up, it is also possible to search the online archive for whatever This I Believe essays you want to here. That saves you the time of buying this selection.

My kind of book: rich, deep, informative, easy and quick to read, no frills.

With attributions, these are my favorite entries:

--Without God we can agree on reality, and then we can keep learning why we are wrong (Penn Jillette)

--Jazz comes from a humanity that was attacked but not defeated (Coleen Shaddox).

--Self-authority and external authority are equal.
--Destructive people are not born they are created by hierarchy and powerful control.
--What would happen if even one generation were raised with respect, dignity and without violence? (Gloria Steinem)

--Laziness is divine relaxation for the creative process (Loudon Wainwright III).

--Community is the force multiplier of humanity.
--Is an Agnostic just a cowardly Atheist?
--It is the pursuit of happiness, not its attainment that is worthy of our humanity. (Stud Terkel)

--The twin reckoners are love and law. Each entails trust; when one fails, the other must step up.
--Our freedom cannot be a "freedom from," i.e., to exclude, but it must be a "freedom to," i.e., to include. Otherwise it is not freedom at all but tyranny.
--Pogroms are a disease of normal "good" people, otherwise known as society's "criminals in waiting."
--If you want an easy life, choose a different universe. (Rebecca West)

--Which is farther West, LA or Reno? (The correct answer is Reno): Truth may be elusive, hidden, even scary, but it is never relative. (Errol Morris)

--America's noisiness has a name: Its called democracy (Colin Powell)

--The single greatest achievement of any society is the rule of law, which has a "tinkerbell effect:" it exists and works only so long as we believe in it. (Michael Mullane)

--Sometimes, no support is strong enough (Helen Hayes)

--The law of the dancer's life is that movement never lies.
--We learn to live by "practicing living."
--Practice invites the perfection we desire. But practice also means many small daily deaths. (Martha Graham)

--A cadaver is not an abstraction: But inside it there are no organs that explain fear, love, ambition, self-sacrifice, forgiveness, compassion and hate? (Kathy Dahlen)

-- Good and bad news are both self-reinforcing, but bad news has a bigger mouthpiece.
--The reward for doing good is feeling good about yourself for having done it.(Norman Corwin)

--You only have what you give; its by spending yourself that you become rich (Isabel Allende).

--It is our right to be divinely wrong.
--Man cannot have dignity without acknowledging the dignity of his fellow man.
--Art magnifies our humanity through communication. (Leonard Bernstein)

And my own self-fashioned favorite: The one who dies with the most books is the winner.

Three Stars

I've been working too much lately, getting into my car at night with my head still swimming about all the things that are going on at the office. I try not to get like this, but sometimes, especially at this time of year, it's hard not to. Someone sent me a copy of an interesting audiobook though and I wanted to share a bit about it with you. Listening to it in 15 minute snippets on the way to and from work these past few weeks has turned me around.

If you're a public radio junkie, the series it's based on is probably old news to you. It's called "This I Believe" and it's a compilation of essays from individuals writing about what they believe in. Very simple concept. The people who have written essays are young and old, famous and not, successful and not, religious and not. There are some from the 1950s, some from 2006. I'm finding that spending a few minutes on my drive to and from work every day where I stop thinking about what happened today or what needs to happen tomorrow does me good as a person. Some of them made me cry (probably more than I should admit) and some made me laugh. Some I fast-forward through b/c I've no interest in the topic - but with 80 distinct essays to listen to, you can fwd through quite a few and still have lots to listen to.

You might be one of those people who is going to think this is smarmy, a little too saccharin or otherwise not as clever as you'd like -- but you should at least listen to a couple of excerpts. You may be surprised by the range of this collection - there are essays on the belief in science and math and the written word; others about kindness and hope and family; some on pizza delivery drivers and good barbecue and feeding monkeys on your birthday. I'm tempted to point out a couple of my favorites but I won't - because I'm pretty sure the excerpts that speak most vividly to me will be different than the ones that touch you. You should give yourself a few minutes right now to sample one or two from the npr website. And then you should buy the audio or the print book. It's maybe exactly what you need right now.

Reading this book was a little like eating a somewhat overcooked ear of fresh corn on the cob: It still tastes ok, but you wonder with every bite how anybody can screw up something as promising as fresh corn. This compilation of essays (heavily edited, I suspect, since most of them have the same ubiquitous voice) solicits answers to the titular question from ordinary as well as highly accomplished and often famous people. And the editors didn't exactly screw them up, but they did gather together not only some great answers, but a surprising number that were pedestrian, trivial, or run-of-the-mill.

Some are remarkable not only for their insight but for their sources. Who would have guessed, for instance, that comedic magician Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller) would pen such a clear-sighted and articulate defense of atheism, or that a professor of plant science named Elizabeth Earl would have such insightful things to say on the unfairness of life? By contrast, who would have thought that renowned author Isabelle Allende would have mostly hackneyed (though no doubt heartfelt) things to say about death and the purpose of life, or that Bill Gates couldn't muster something to believe in beyond the transformative power of computers? Surprises (and disappointments) throughout.

Most surprising perhaps was the discovery that given a rare chance to publicly declare ones most deeply held beliefs, many people--no matter how famous or accomplished--have relatively little to say that is either truly profound or original. Some of the more delightful exceptions: novelist John Updike on writing fiction, English Professor Sarah Adams on being cool to the pizza delivery guy, William F. Buckley, Jr. on belief in god, Warren Christopher on mutual dependence, and Errol Morris on the need to seek after truth.

The included essays are essentially "belief sound-bites" (usually only 2-3 pages each), not full-length reflections. So, it's easy to work your way through the collection at the rate of one or two a night before dozing off, but most of them aren't nearly as philosophically meaty as one might hope they would be.

Anyone would benefit from listening to this illuminating look at the beliefs that guide people in their everyday life. It includes excerpts from a project in which people from all walks of life share their personal views on what they believe about life. Originally it was a radio show that aired in the 50's, so some of the people sharing their beliefs are historical figures like Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt. It is fascinating to listen to and is well produced. I was wishing for a volume II as soon as I popped the last CD out of my player.

I like the extensive mixture found here. Among the essayists are Leonard Bernstein, Warren Christopher and Bill Gates - as well as pediatric psychologist Debbie Hall, astrophysicist Allan Lightman, restaurant critic Jason Sheehan, retired elementary school teacher Ruth Kamps and part-time hospital clerk Jackie Lantry.

The book's dust jacket says it's "a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs - and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them - reveal the American spirit at its best."

My hope is that readers will not only find delight and encouragement in these readings but will be prompted to share their own personal philosophies. Everyone has them. They're the core set of beliefs which form the lens by which people view the world.

The reality is, most people live by a set of beliefs they would have a hard time identifying. And even if they could articulate them, many would not want to hold them out to scrutiny. Yet, the effort and risk seems very much worth it all. This is what the authors in this book have done. They've shared what is most personal - and unfortunately for many people, most private.

If through dialog and discussion we understand each other better, then this is a much needed book. It's a view into our humanity and the very condition of our culture.

Furthermore, it seems we refine our beliefs through sharing them, and hearing viewpoints which differ from ours. If we are all on a process of discovery then we should not only be reading about what others believe, but talking about these things with those in our communities. I'd suggest this book is step in doing that. Lastly, if truth exists, then humility regarding my beliefs is certainly a virtue. If there's something I currently believe which isn't true, I want to know it. And that's the challenge of viewing my own and other's beliefs (including those in this book) with a perspective of care and evaluation.

I wish the book had included an outline for identifying a person's own beliefs. Maybe questions like this could have been included.

- What does it mean to be human?
- What is best in this world?
- What is worth aspiring towards?
- Why are we here?
- How should we live?
- Where did we come from?
- Where are we going?
- What happens if we're wrong?
- What's reliable?
- How can we know?

I just finished THIS I BELIEVE,

edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, and now find myself

wanting to listen to the National Public Radio series of the same name.

The book is a compilation of 80 essays that have been written

by the famous to the unknown, each one looking at how the author

arrived at his or her own personal beliefs and then shared them

with others.

I liked the fact that it featured such well-known contributors as

Colin Powell, William F. Buckley Jr. and Gloria Steinhem, in

addition to such others as a Brooklyn lawyer, a man who serves

on the state of Rhode Island's parole board and a part-time hospital

clerk from Rheboboth, Massachusetts.

As the subtitle indicates, these are the PERSONAL PHILOSOPHIES

OF REMARKABLE MEN AND WOMEN, and I found almost

all of them quite thought-provoking . . . and though some of them

were actually quite old (having been featured in the 1950 series

hosted by Ed Murrow), they were still as relevant today as this

statement from Oscar Hammerstein II indicates:

I have an unusual statement to make. I am a man who believes he is

happy. What makes it unusual is that a man who is happy seldom

tells anyone. The unhappy man is more communicative. He is eager

to recite what is wrong with the world, and he seems to have a talent

for gathering a large audience. It is a modern tragedy that despair has

so many spokesmen, and hope so few.

Among the other tidbits of wisdom I gained from reading were

the following:

* [Brian Grazer] The answer is simple. Disrupting my comfort zone,

bombarding myself with challenging people and situations, this is the

best way I know to keep growing. And to paraphrase a biologist I once

met, if you're not growing, you're dying.

* [Pen Jillette] Believing there's no god means I can't really be forgiven

except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me

want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first

time around.

* [Steve Porter] I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things

are better than normal; the other half, they are worse. I believe life is

a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what

normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises

of the future.

A striking set of selected portraits by Nubar Alexanian added to my

enjoyment of this fine book.

Because I can't really comment on the usual things one does in a book review....plot, characterization, writing style, thematic elements... I will simply summarize the quotes from this amazing book that touched me the most.

Novelist Isabel Allende: "Give, give, give - what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don't give it away? Or having stories if I don't tell them to others? Or having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world and the divine."

Composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein: "I believe that she (America) is at a critical point in this moment and that she needs us to believe more strongly than ever before in her and in one another, in our ability to grow and change, in our mutual dignity, in our democratic method. We must encourage thought, free and creative. We must respect privacy. We must observe taste by not exploiting our sorrows, successes, or passions."

Also - "...one human being who meets with injustice can render invalid the entire system which has dispensed it."

Elizabeth Deutsch Earle (from 1950): "Johnathan Edwards, a Puritan minister, resolved never to do anything out of revenge. I am a modern, a member of a church far removed from Puritanism, yet I have accepted this resolution. Since revenge and retaliation seem to have been accepted by nations today, I sometimes have difficulty reconciling my moral convictions with the tangled world being handed down to us by adults."

Also - "If I were to discover that there is no afterlife, my motive for moral living would not be destroyed. I have enough of the philosopher in me to love righteousness for its own sake."

Law professor Michael Mullane: "The law is wonderfully strong and terribly fragile. In times of crisis and threat, there is a temptation to stop believing in the rule of law - a temptation to think that it weakens rather than protects us...."Maybe we do need to sacrifice personal liberties to be safe, but then I remember that generations of Americans bled and died to create and protect the rule of law, and I wonder: If we ignore it now, how will we ever get it back?"

English historian Arnold Toynbee: "To imagine that one's own church, civilization, nation or family is the chosen people is, I believe, as wrong as it would be for me to imagine that I myself am God. I agree with Symmachus, the pagan philosopher who put the case for toleration to a victorious Christian church, and I will end by quoting his words: The universe is too great a mystery for there to be only one single approach to it."

This book, these essays are such amazing pieces of humanity. I was the most impressed by people whose names I did not know, people who had not had practice writing or giving speeches or being in the public eye. It was the cabdriver, the teacher, the sixteen year olds whose view of the world was most enlightening. And so it should be in everything.
After reading this book, I of course started to think about what I would write. I believe so many things...but which belief is the defining one? Which belief could I sum up in under 500 words? Which belief would I feel comfortable telling others about?

"This I Believe" is a wonderful collection of words and thoughts and dreams. Almost every essay contained an inspirational memory or thought that improved my view of humanity. That changed my idea of a person whose name I knew well.

But I must finish this review with a quote from an essay that didn't change me at all - and that certainly didn't surprise me at all, given my impressions of the writer. "I believe that the world is inherently a very dangerous place and that things that are now very good can go bad very quickly."

- Newt Gingrich.

Although I did not love each individual essay, I did enjoy reading this book as a whole. The essays are short and easy to read even if you don't agree with the belief or are not interested in the topic. Even though all of the stories are opinionated, none of them make you feel pressured to feel the same way or guilty if you don't. They are simply about how these beliefs have shaped the different authors' lives. Some stories include anecdotes and short stories, and others can just feel like the author is rambling to you. Nonetheless, it is impossible to finish one of these stories without learning something new or gaining a different perspective. Many of the essays are about faith and religion, which is not a topic that I love to read about. However, I didn't find myself skipping over those stories. Some of my favorites were actually about how people were able to find their beliefs outside of the church. The range of beliefs and backgrounds of the authors provide a sense of variety even though the book is essentially the same thing over and over again. I was immediately able to connect to some of the essays, and I can still picture the images that they left in my mind. There were other essays that I did not find as interesting, but that is bound to happen to anyone who reads it.
I would recommend this book to a person of any age because I believe that everyone can connect with and learn from some of these essays.

I have always enjoyed the "This I Believe" essays I've managed to catch on NPR. For me, listening to the essays in the audio format, in the author's voice definitely adds to the impact of the essays. That said, the written essays are still worthwhile and inspiring reading. Several of them really made an impact. For example, as a Christian, I wouldn't have expected the essay by atheist Penn Jillette to be among my favorites. But he states his beliefs, or non-beliefs, so well that I now have a different understanding and respect for those who don't believe in God - though my beliefs remain unchanged. The essays are short, most being 2 to 2-1/2 pages in length. This makes for an easy read, particularly for those who have limited uninterrupted reading time. It's easy to pick up the book, read an essay or two in their entirety, and then put the book down again when duty calls. If you're not sure whether you want to spend money on this book, check it out from your local public library - I did.

I bought this book after accompanying a friend to a book signing by Gediman in Cleveland last night. I had no idea what the NPR show, on which the book is based, was about but I'm very glad that I went - one of those fortuitous moments causing a small but perceptible expansion of ones world.

The premise of the show/book is people from all walks of life and nations are requested to submit a 350-500 word essay about "This I Believe". No preaching or dogmatic style is allowed, with the focus of the essays being on the greater essence of what it means to be human, alive and existing in this wonderful universe. The show initially aired in the early 1950's as the brainchild of Ward Wheelock (initiated the idea after his wife died and provided the funding), William Paley and Donald Thornburgh (CBS radio execs) and Edward Murrow (radio broadcaster).

Invitations were sent out to the famous of the time to submit their essays. Contributors included Hoover, Einstein, Truman, Barb Stanwyck, Thomas Mann, Jackie Robinson etc. Following the request of one listener contributions were sought from folks from all walks of life as opposed to the merely famous. The show aired daily for 4yrs gaining huge success around the globe. Alas for one reason and another the show came to an end in 1955.

The concept of "This I Believe" essays lay dormant until March 2003 when Gediman found a copy of essays from the 1950's series and realised that much of what they contained then was as pertinent today - a nation at war, health, government, science, philosophy etc. And so the whole concept, via NPR, was resurrected and has become a firm favourite of the NPR audience.

Anyone is requested to submit their essay, submission guidelines are provided in the book. Authors of the best ones received are requested to record them and then they're aired on the show. 80 essays are collected in this book combining some from the original 1950's shows along with ones from the current. (All of the stories submitted so far, some 19000, are available online). A variety of topics are touched upon in peoples personal philosophies from being nice to the pizza delivery guy through to international collaboration being the only way for humanity withstand its global pressures through to the inspiration to be found while looking up at the stars. Contributors include Bill Gates, Warren Christopher, Colin Powell, John McCain, John Updike, Leonard Bernstein, Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller) through to hospital clerks, schoolteachers, fashion designers and an autistic.

You might not agree with all the beliefs presented in the book (and why should you?) but there certainly is much there to ponder. One of the bonuses is for me is the lack of ram-it-down-your throat, my-way-or-the-highway bombast that plagues so much contemporary religion - religion/god is touched upon but in the loftier sense of man's search for meaning as opposed to the fire and brimstone of the pulpit.

Each essay is well written and even though succinct, manage to get across the pertinent points of the authors beliefs. The book certainly lends itself to random browsing (the essays are ordered by authors surname), and with no topic or index you have no idea what you are going to get in to with each.

Highly recommended - and who knows, it might compel you to submit your own essay.

When I first received my copy of "This I Believe," I had no idea that it was actually from a popular 1950s radio show of the same name. Originally, "This I Believe" was hosted by Edward R. Murrow. It was aired throughout the United States and became so popular that two volumes of the essays were published and hit the Top-10 Bestseller's list for three years.

It was easy to become hooked as I read the first essay, and though some of the essays are 50 years old, they are still very relevent to what we are going through now as individuals and as a society.

The essays (of which there are 79) are 3-4 pages each and are essentially a brief outline of why the writer has a particular belief. The essays are personal stories which are written in a positive manner without being judgmental, preachy or obnoxious.

Some of the more well known writers include: William F. Buckley, Jr., Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Bill Gates and Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame).

In the "Afterward" written by Dan Gediman, he explains the history of the famous radio show and how he was inspired to put together a book of some of the more famous essays from the show, while including some new essays from both famous and unknown writers of our day.

The appendix includes the original introduction of the radio show "This I Believe" by Edward R. Murrow, how to write your own "This I Believe" essay, and suggestions on how to use "This I Believe" in your own community. They also challenge you to write your own "This I Believe" essay and send it in to their website [...]

"This I Believe" is thoughtful, inspiring and thought provoking. It would provide invaluable insights and topics for those interested in public speaking or blogging. For teachers it can provide inspiration to help students find out their own belief systems.

Really an essay of the human heart, "This I Believe" challenges you to discover what your own belief system is. Do you know what you believe?

I was skeptical after hearing the premise of "This I Believe", afraid that I would feel disconnected from the stories told by those older than I am. While some of the stories did not spark my interest and a few were a bit too personal to connect with, I found myself reflecting and pondering through the journey that this collection of essays took me on.

I found pieces of myself in others, which is always comforting, and I began to think about what I believe in. Between values, religion, practices, people, and things, we all have our own beliefs. However, we rarely put them into words.

This collection of essays is worth your while to read. It will give you comfort, aid your understanding of others, and encourage you to think about your own beliefs.

In 1951, National Pubic Radio began a program in which participants used a few hundred words to encapsulate their deepest-held beliefs. The program, though incredibly popular, lost funding after a couple of years, was discontinued, and then reborn in 2005.

Now, editors Jay Allison and Dan Gediman have compiled eighty of the essays from both the original set of broadcasts and the most recent ones. The result is a stunning compilation of the beliefs of courageous individuals.

Browsing through the table of contents, you will be struck immediately by the famous individuals that have submitted their essays. From Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, and Jackie Robinson to Bill Gates, Collin Powell and Isabel Allende, these popular figures become transparent and vulnerable as they reveal their most closely held beliefs. And yet, often it's the essays by the ordinary among us, the laborer, the abandoned, the teacher, the AIDS researcher, that will bring tears to your eyes and move your heart profoundly.

These essays are extremely readable due to their short length and the intimacy of the project. If you pick up this book, you may find yourself compelled to read on, fascinated by how differently (and similarly) we live.

Perhaps the greatest impact this book has on its reader is in its implicit invitation to create one's own "This I believe" statement. Reading others' reflections on life causes one to wonder, "How would I put my deepest beliefs into words?" Just having the chance to sit back and to wonder about this is extremely rewarding.

In the words of one essayist, a civil engineer, given this chance to reflect, we find that "we are more than the inhabitants of our cubicles, more than engineers or even parents, husbands, and wives...we are transformed and connected by the power and beauty of our creativity."

This I Believe is an outstanding book. In this day and age, we are constantly driven to go, go, go. Don't miss this opportunity to sit back and learn about what your fellow citizens believe and to think about what you hold to be most dear and true.

Armchair Interviews says: We all need our own "This I believe" statement in this trying world.

This I believe -that listening to individual human beings tell of their fundamental beliefs in life opens up to each one of us new worlds and perspectives. Each one of us is a limited human being with a faith and perspective of his own. We may share the beliefs of others, and often are heartened at hearing them. But time and time again listening to the beliefs of others we learn how rich and varied Humanity is, and how great God's creation in the world is .
I believe that by being open to others, their stories and their faiths we enrich ourselves and become better human beings.
This book helps us do this, and is a welcome addition to the ever - growing library of Mankind.

An excellent resource for learning what others believe. A number of individuals from teens to politicians briefly informs the reader about something that they believe, beliefs, I assume, are from the heart and therefore honest. Enjoyed this book immensely.

An excellent resource for learning what others believe. A number of individuals from teens to politicians briefly informs the reader about something that they believe, beliefs, I assume, are from the heart and therefore honest. Enjoyed this book immensely.

A collection of brief essays from well-known contemporary and mid-20th century interesting people examining personal beliefs is entertaining and thought-provoking. It is a volume that can be picked up at whichever essay the book opens to. There is little cliche or formula about the essays and each one provided at least small insights and at best, eureka moments.

I'm always looking for a good audiobook to listen to on the way to work and back, and this series has been one of the best I've heard. Every story is different: some are predictable and a little boring, but most are good, and some are really amazing. In fact, I usually had to reserve these for the way home, because some of the stories were so captivating that it was hard to get into my work for half an hour or more after listening to them. One story about a lady who adopted a boy from China still makes me cry whenever I think about it (happy tears!).

The stories are a mix. I had expected a lot of religious content from the title, but there was little of that. Mostly just people talking about some important aspect of or event from their lives. Included some modern NPR stories and some from the original CBS series in the '50s.

Altogether very interesting, and well worth the time to read or hear.

The This I Believe series is inspiring and offers readers time to think and grow. It is a collection of varied authors' philosophies that guide their lives. The major themes and morals conveyed offer more than intellectual stimulation. What is truly impactful about the collection is that you are allowed the time to think about what you truly believe and what philosophies you allow to guide your life, which we take too little time to do throughout our day-to-day lives. Some essays will remind you to be grateful for what you have, as Cecile Gilmer's "The People Who Love You When No One Else Will" does. Gilmer states: "I believe that families are not only blood relatives but sometimes just people that show up and love you when no one else will" (75). So often we are filled with resentment and pent up emotions about what our families don't offer us or the challenges that they may cause us that we wait until the major holidays come to be reminded of the gift that they are, whether by blood or by choice. The gratitude will uplift us if we were only reminded of what we have. As Gilmer, Elvia Bautista reflects on how remembering the good can help us find peace. In her essay "Remembering All the Boys", Bautista states: "I want everyone to remember all the boys, red and blue, in my cemetery. When we remember, we put flowers on their graves" (18). Remembrance can often inspire pain and regret for many of us because we focus on loss; loss of opportunities or loss of love. We can choose to remember out of dedication and turn that haunting pain into strength. Essays as Gilmer's and Bautista's remind us that our philosophy on life guides our day-to-day experience and there is power in thought. We must take the time to add our own "essays" and truly consider how we would complete the statement: I believe in...

I was expecting the essays to be filled with mostly dry rhetoric and generalizations. Instead I was pleasantly surprised that most included detailed anecdotes that provided the background behind the authors beliefs. The author would first narrate the situations that led them to their beliefs.

In other words there was plenty of nuts and bolts within each essay to keep me interested. It was not a bunch of self-affirmation, feel good mumbo-jumbo.

or would like to understand what America is all about, listen to this book. The voices are authentic and wise beyond measure. The recreated essays (folks who've already passed on and they couldn't find recordings) lend gravitas to already burnished reputations, but for me, the recent "little people" who see themselves as just doing their part and changing the world because of that commitment the gives me chills.

This book samples a variety of outlooks on the question of one's sustaining values. The writing is written in language suitable for middle-grade students through adulthood. One word I checked in a dictionary. These personal essays are not earth-shaking. Themes range from private to patriotic, but most entertain and enlighten.

This CD set is even better than I anticipated. The philosophies of famous people, ordinary people, people from all different walks of life are shared in this set. I listened to some of the entries several times because they were so moving. The messages range from simple and sweet to very intellectual. If you are contemplating buying this CD set, I highly recommend it.

From Barbie to Pizza Dudes, Helen Keller to Colin Powell; one for each extraordinary essay in it. FYI, I had the most amazing introduction to this book by attending a review in Chicago, where its origins were recounted in person by the editors (as detailed by the "armchair" reviewer below). To my delight, Studs Terkel presented his thoughts (yes, THE Studs Terkel...can you believe it?..he wrote the foreword) and two of the essayists (Eboo Patel & John Fountain) read their stories to us. It was a cold evening, but I left with a warm heart and two signed copies, and will be buying many more to share with all my good friends who remind me so much of the remarkable people in this book, and for myself who is struggling to become one.

I reguarly listen to the radio series on NPR, and I teach English composition at a community college. Recently, I decided to have my students write their own "This I Believe" essays. Though I originally bought the book (and had my students buy copies) so that I could assign weekly readings from it, I have gotten a great deal of personal enjoyment from reading the essays myself, even the ones I don't assign to the class. This would be an excellent high school or college graduation present, as well.

This compilation of essays could not have been more boring. Yes, if you really dig through you will find good excerpts and maybe an entirely decent story. However that’s not what I like to get out of books. I want excitement, passion, anger, outrage, love, lust, betrayal. I want to feel challenged, pushed, and uncomfortable. I don’t want to read a book about how 80 strangers wrote about completely undeniable facts that we all believe. This ties into what I believe; never ever being bored. Life’s too short to be bored doing whatever you are stuck doing. Something we have to do, but ready essays that do not challenge us as readers or writers is not one of them. Every time there was a powerful moment in one of these stories, they were fizzled out by the time and word restraints. What you believe in should be one of the most passionate topics for you to write about. NPR is diluting the passion of their people by restraining them. Granted some of the essays would show no improvement because, frankly, they are lackluster. But some have some real promise if those authors would push aside their limitations. I think it is a waste of time to read something that doesn’t move you in some way.

I loved reading this book -- several essays I read more than once. I decided to gift copies to my sisters and brothers as well as a few close friends. I asked them to take a stab at writing their own "This I believe" statement/story/essay and share it with me if they wish. It has been a great adventure! By the way, my brothers and sisters think MPR and NPR are 'stuffy' -- their favorite essay? The first one about the pizza dude.

I'd recommend it for young adults, old adults and us middlin' adults!

uplifting, funny, touching, thought-provoking and so many other great things. I bought this book to read in the airport and on flights for a recent business trip. I found that the time flew and I was inspired to consider my own life philosophy. This book is nothing less than I expect from NPR.

Good book something like dominic vonbern after that, but vonbern goes futher about the little voices.
The metaphysical filed: During the reign of chaos is a good alternative in a compleat different way!
Hope this help

I have to agree with another reviewer...this is banal and boring. Most of the essays are highly repetitive (i.e. be good to others, have faith in God, be a good role model, make peace not war...blah,blah,blah). Sure, people have a right to their beliefs and I do not presume to argue against those; nonetheless, the beliefs are uninspired and typical, revealing little more than "Wow, we all want the world to be a better place, and it can only come about if you believe what I believe."

This ties into my final point: virtually all of the essays had a didactic tone. Growing up in the midwest, I have no desire to be taught what I should believe.

An NPR fan, I found fresh perspective in this well-written collection of inspiring, thought-provoking essays. An interesting read, if approached with objectivity and open mindedness to varying points of view.

This guy is a hypocrite pervo. He claims to respect women, and he is just as perverted as any other hypocrite. So if you like smoke being blown up your backside, purchase this book, and pretend you're somehow special.

I cannot believe that this is another book where the price of the paperback is less than the cost of the Kindle edition. I was getting ready to buy it on my Kindle but the publisher's can keep it until they decide to price it appropriately!