This I Believe

Teenager Josh Rittenberg contemplates the past his ancestors overcome and the future his generation faces in "Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day," his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the...

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, baseball legend Jackie Robinson reflects on fighting imperfection to create a better world in "Free Minds and Hearts at Work", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans...

Mel Rusnov describes the delight of discovering "The Artistry of Hidden Talents", especially music, in people otherwise defined by their careers, for NPR's This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing...

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger explains how wanting children before conception can lead to greater good in the world, in "When Children Are Wanted," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public...

Colleen Shaddox explains how music unites her family even during difficult times in "Jazz is the Sound of God Laughing", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the...

Andrew Sullivan reflects on what some of America's most fundamental values mean to him in "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown...

Political commentator Mark Shields expresses his faith in politics and admiration for politicians willing to take an unpopular stand, in "The People Have Spoken", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from...

Deidre Sullivan describes the lessons she learned from her father's advice to "Always Go To The Funeral" for NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the...

Harold Taw explains an unusual birthday tradition in "Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the...

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, historian Arnold Toynbee describes how relating to others, even when it causes us to suffer, makes us human, in "I Agree With A Pagan", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features...

Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike comments on how writing fiction can push the writer's boundaries, in "Testing the Limits of What I Know and Feel," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous...

Frank X. Walker sees many supposed survival skills as "Creative Solutions to Life’s Challenges" in his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with...

Critic, journalist, novelist, and feminist Rebecca West describes her discovery that human nature does not naturally support liberty in "Goodness Doesn’t Just Happen", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans...

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams reflects that average people can unite to create a better world, in "When Ordinary People Achieve Extraordinary Things," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the...

A new collection of inspiring personal philosophies from another noteworthy group of people This second collection of This I Believe essays gathers seventy-five essayists—ranging from famous to previously unknown—completing the thought that begins the book's title. With contributors who run...