About This I Believe

This I Believe is based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow. Each day, Americans gathered by their radios to hear compelling essays from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller, and Harry Truman as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists, and secretaries—anyone able to distill into a few minutes the guiding principles by which they lived. These essayists’ words brought comfort and inspiration to a country worried about the Cold War, McCarthyism, and racial division. (These essays are featured in weekly broadcasts on Bob Edwards' satellite and public radio shows.) In reviving This I Believe, executive producer Dan Gediman says, “The goal is not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs. Rather, the hope is to encourage people to begin the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.”

Selected contemporary This I Believe essays were featured on regular broadcasts on National Public Radio (NPR) in the United States from 2005 – 2009. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) aired essays from Canadians in 2007. In 2005 and 2006, USA Weekend invited its readers to participate in our project and published selected essays from their readers. And numerous local public radio stations, newspapers and magazines have featured essays from citizens in their communities.

This I Believe, Inc., in partnership with Henry Holt and Company, has produced two books collecting essays featured on the NPR series. The first book was published in 2006, and became a New York Times bestseller in paperback, while the second volume was released in 2008. In addition to collecting these essays for posterity, the books have become popular with “one book, one community” projects.

Teachers around the country—and around the world—have embraced This I Believe as a powerful educational tool. They have downloaded our free educational curricula, posters, and brochures for using This I Believe in middle and high school classrooms and in college courses. These curricula help teachers guide students through exploring their beliefs and then composing personal essays about them. The students learn about themselves and their peers, and experience the delight of realizing their views and voices have value.