An inspiring collection of the personal philosophies of a group of remarkable men and womenBased on the National Public Radio series of the same name, This I Believe features eighty essayists-from the famous to the unknown-completing the thought that begins the book's title. Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs but also the extent to which they share them with others.Featuring a well-known list of contributors-including Isabel Allende, Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley Jr., Penn Jillette, Bill Gates, and John Updike-the collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer; a part-time hospital clerk from Rehoboth, Massachusetts; a woman who sells Yellow Pages advertising in Fort Worth, Texas; and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board.The result is 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.

ForewordStuds TerkelIntroductionJay AllisonBe Cool to the Pizza DudeSarah AdamsLeaving Identity Issues to Other FolksPhyllis AllenIn Giving I Connect with OthersIsabel AllendeRemembering All the BoysElvia BautistaThe Mountain DisappearsLeonard BernsteinHow Is It Possible to Believe in God?William F. Buckley, Jr.The Fellowship of the WorldNiven BuschThere is No Job More Important than ParentingBenjamin CarsonA Journey toward Acceptance and LoveGreg ChapmanA Shared Moment of TrustWarren ChristopherThe Hardest Work You Will Ever DoMary CookGood Can Be as Communicable as EvilNorman CorwinA Daily Walk Just to ListenSusan CosioThe Elusive Yet Holy CoreKathy DahlenMy Father's Evening StarWilliam O. DouglasAn Honest DoubterHave I Learned Anything Important Since I Was Sixteen?Elizabeth Deutsch EarleAn Ideal of Service to Our Fellow ManAlbert EinsteinThe Power and Mystery of Naming ThingsEve EnslerA Goal of Service to HumankindAnthony FauciThe God Who Embraced MeJohn W. FountainUnleashing the Power of CreativityBill GatesThe People Who Love You When No One Else WillCecile GilmerThe Willingness to Work for SolutionsNewt GingrichThe Connection between StrangersMiles GoodwinAn Athlete of GodMartha GrahamSeeing in Beautiful, Precise PicturesTemple GrandinDisrupting My Comfort ZoneBrian GrazerScience Nourishes the Mind and the SoulBrian GreeneIn Praise of the "Wobblies"Ted GupThe Power of PresenceDebbie HallA Grown-Up BarbieJane HamillHappy TalkOscar Hammerstein IINatural Links in a Long Chain of BeingVictor HansonTalking with the SunJoy HarjoA Morning Prayer in a Little ChurchHelen HayesOur Noble, Essential DecencyRobert A. HeinleinA New Birth of FreedomMaximilian HodderThe Benefits of Restlessness and Jagged EdgesKay Redfield JamisonThere Is No GodPenn JilletteA Duty to HealPius KamauLiving Life with "Grace and Elegant Treeness"Ruth KampsThe Light of a Brighter DayHelen KellerThe Bright Lights of FreedomHarold Hongju KohThe Power of Love to Transform and HealJackie LantryThe Power of MysteriesAlan LightmanLife Grows in the Soil of TimeThomas MannWhy I Close My RestaurantGeorge MardikianThe Virtues of the Quiet HeroJohn McCainThe Joy and Enthusiasm of ReadingRick MoodyThere Is Such a Thing as TruthErrol MorrisThe Rule of LawMichael MullaneGetting Angry Can Be a Good ThingCecilia MuñozMysterious Connection That Link Us TogetherAzar NafisiThe Making of PoemsGregory OrrWe Are Each Other's BusinessEboo PatelThe 50-Percent Theory of LifeSteve PorterThe America I Believe InColin PowellThe Real Consequences of JusticeFrederic ReamerThere Is More to Life than My LifeJamaica RitcherTomorrow Will Be a Better DayJosh RittenbergFree Minds and Hearts at WorkJackie RobinsonGrowth That Starts from ThinkingEleanor RooseveltThe Artistry in Hidden TalentsMel RusnovMy Fellow WormsCarl SandburgWhen Children Are WantedMargaret SangerJazz Is the Sound of God LaughingColleen ShaddoxThere Is No Such Thing as Too Much BarbecueJason SheehanThe People Have SpokenMark ShieldsEverything Potent Is DangerousWallace StegnerA Balance between Nature and NurtureGloria SteinemLife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of HappinessAndrew SullivanAlways Go to the FuneralDeirdre SullivanFinding Prosperity by Feeding MonkeysHarold TawI Agree with a PaganArnold ToynbeeTesting the Limits of What I Know and FeelJohn UpdikeHow Do You Believe in a Mystery?Loudon Wainwright IIICreative Solutions to Life's ChallengesFrank X WalkerGoodness Doesn't Just HappenRebecca WestWhen Ordinary People Achieve Extraordinary ThingsJody WilliamsAfterword: The History of This I Believe: The Power of an IdeaDan GedimanAppendix A: Introduction to the 1950s This I Believe Radio SeriesEdward R. MurrowAppendix B: How to Write Your Own This I Believe EssayAppendix C: How to Use This I Believe in Your CommunityAcknowledgments