What is This I Believe?
What is This I Believe?
This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here and featured on public radio in the United States and Canada, as well as in regular broadcasts on NPR. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.
Featured Essay of the Week
Black Is Beautiful
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What’s in a name? For writer and teacher Sufiya Abdur-Rahman it’s key to her identity as the proud daughter of Muslim parents. Like the 1960s movement, Abdur-Rahman believes black is beautiful and not a condition she should have to rise above. |
Special Feature:
Lessons from Our Parents
What do parents hope to teach their children? Not the “sit up straight” or “eat your vegetables” messages, but the deeper lessons for a life well-lived. Click the links below to read the messages these parents are passing from one generation to the next.
- A Legacy of Integrity
- To Be the Best Humans We Can Be
- Being Yourself
- A Clean, Well-Lighted Kitchen
- Lessons from a Full and Useful Life
Click here to read previous Special Features
On the Road with This I Believe
This summer marks the start of another touring season for This I Believe. Click here to learn where host Jay Allison and executive producer Dan Gediman are traveling to talk about This I Believe. They’ll also share their insights and experiences from the road. First stop: Spain!
The Essay Shuffle
A random selection of interesting essays that may inspire you to write your own.
- The Hummingbird Theory of Life
- Stories Hold the Land Together
- Gone in the Blink of an Eye
- Tell the Children
- The Reality of Caring
- Search our essay database—Browse through the tens of thousands of other essays that have been submitted to This I Believe.
This I Believe en Espanol
A Spanish translation of our This I Believe book has just been published in Spain by Plataforma Editorial. It is translated by the noted translator Horacio Vázquez-Rial. To read an excerpt from the book, an essay by novelist Isabel Allende, please click here. To order the book, please click here.
The History of This I Believe
At the dawn of the Cold War and the height of McCarthyism, Americans from all walks of life bravely spoke their beliefs on the original This I Believe. Now, a new documentary tells the fascinating history of the series hosted by Edward R. Murrow. Listen to the program including essays by Harry Truman, Margaret Mead, William O. Douglas, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein and other prominent figures of the day.
