This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women

Ruth Kamps has a profound kinship with an old pine tree in her garden, and believes all living things are connected and equal. She renounced organized religion when she was not welcomed into the local church in her time of need, but she still feels a deep spiritual connection with nature.

Kamps is a retired elementary school teacher living in rural Wisconsin.

From the 1950s series.

Helen Keller’s faith is a collection of beliefs which push her to do good and remain hopeful despite knowing the injustices and suffering which exist in the world. She is optimistic that well-intentioned action can make the world a better place, and believes in both God and the afterlife.

Keller was an author, activist and lecturer who overcame the limitations of a childhood illness which left her blind and deaf.

Harold Hongju Koh’s family lived under a dictatorship in Korea. He has seen the suffering of North Korean citizens oppressed by their leaders, so he knows the value of freedom. He believes that liberty is contagious, because in his work as an international human rights lawyer he has seen the desire for freedom in the eyes of people all over the world.

Koh teaches human rights and international law as the Dean of Yale Law School, and previously worked in government as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

Jackie Lantry adopted her son Luke from China. She believes that it is the love of his new mother and family which helped him heal from the trauma of an abusive and neglectful childhood.

Lantry and her husband have four adopted children from China. They live in Massachusetts where she works part-time as a hospital clerk.

Alan Lightman believes that the unknown is a powerful source of motivation to encourage people in science and art. As a scientist, he satisfies his childhood yearning to explore the mysteries and limits of the universe. He hopes science never finalizes a Theory of Everything, because he enjoys interesting questions as much as answers.

Lightwell is the founder of the Harpswell Foundation educational charity. He is an author, astrophysicist, and teacher at MIT.

From the 1950s series.

Thomas Mann believes that transitoriness and mortality is what gives life its meaning. The fact that life must someday end is what motivates people to do meaningful things. He believes that whether humanity is the most important experiment of creation or not, it is important to live as though it were.

Mann was a Nobel-Prize winning author from Germany.

From the 1950s series.

Every Christmas Eve, George Mardikian and his wife cook for their employees, an Armenian tradition which shows humility and gratitude. Mardikian believes that friendship is incredibly important. He was saved from an Armenian prison through the efforts of his American friends, and has been humbled by the kindness he has experienced since moving to America.

Mardikian was a restaurant owner who emigrated from Armenia to San Francisco. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom for his work feeding the US military during the Korean war.

John McCain has spent his life imperfectly living in accordance with the values of honor, faith, and service. He believes that it is important to quietly serve a cause greater than oneself, and recalls the surreptitious kindness of a guard during his time in a Vietnamese prison.

McCain is a US senator from Arizona who ran for president in 2000. He spent five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

Rick Moody believes in the importance of reading. He recalls the impact that his high school teachers and time spent reading in college had on his worldview. Books provide a reader with unparalleled freedom, and are only complete when they are read and interpreted.

Moody is an author and cofounder of the Young Lions Book Award at the New York Public Library.

Errol Morris believes that truth exists, and must be pursued. As a child he was deeply affected when an older boy refused to concede that he was wrong despite all evidence, and used his superior strength to avoid paying out on his lost bet. The pursuit of truth in his work Thin Blue Line saw an innocent man released from death row.

Morris is a multi-award-winning documentary film-maker, director, and former private detective.

Michael Mullane believes that the rule of law only exists because people believe in it. It has been hard-fought for historically, and is important because it keeps civil liberties and other values safe. The rule of law was flouted when US citizens were interned for their Japanese heritage during WWII, which must not happen again even in the post-9/11 atmosphere of paranoia.

Mullane served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War, and is now a lawyer, law professor, and Director of the University of Arkansas Law School Legal Clinic.

Cecilia Munoz believes that outrage can be a useful source of motivation because it fuels her work as an activist. She sees many injustices as part of her job, and is haunted by her failures. Outrage can leave a person hollow, but she makes herself complete through nurturing more positive emotions too.

Munroe was born in Detroit to parents who were originally from Bolivia. She is a McArthur Fellow and Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation at the National Council of La Raza.

Azar Nafisi believes in the connections between even very different people, and in the importance of empathy. She recalls the fictional character Huckleberry Finn’s willingness to face damnation in order to protect his friend who was a runaway enslaved person. When she was fired in the 1980s, some of her staunchest ideological opponents were her most vocal allies.

Nafisi is an author who was fired from her teaching post in the University of Tehran for refusing to wear a headscarf. She now teaches at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in the USA.

Gregory Orr killed his younger brother in a hunting accident when he was 12. Poetry was his only solace from the terrible isolation and emotional anguish he suffered in the aftermath of this tragedy. Poetry gives him the space to process and share his emotions, and to connect with other people.

Orr is a poet and author who teaches at the University of Virginia.

Eboo Patel is a Muslim American who is committed to religious pluralism. His greatest regret is failing to stand up to antisemitism and protect his Jewish friend from slurs while in high school. He cannot undo past failings, but is determined to act now and prevent such incidents in the future.

Patel is an international lecturer who lives in Chicago. He is the Founder and Director of the Interfaith Youth Core nonprofit organization.

Steve Porter believes that life is a pendulum which oscillates between extremes of happiness and misery. Most time is spent somewhere in the middle, with half of life better than average and half of life worse.

Porter lives on his family’s farm in Missouri, and works in community relations for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Colin Powell believes that America is an open and welcoming nation that serves as a global beacon of hope and freedom to prospective immigrants all over the world. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Powell came to believe that the policies should be safe and cautious, but not motivated by fear.

Powell was a Four Star General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. He has served as Secretary of State, and worked in the administration of six different presidents.

When deciding whether to grant parole to prisoners, Frederic Reamer first meets with their victims. His beliefs and decisions have real-world consequences, so he tries to build a full understanding of each case. Reamer administers justice every day to the best of his ability in an imperfect system that he nonetheless believes in.

Reamer is a professor at the School of Social Work at Rhode Island College and serves on the Rhode Island Parole Board.

Jamaica Ritcher remembers experiencing existential dread in her childhood upon learning that her parents did not know what happened after death. She taught her own daughter that the dead decompose and become one with nature.

Ritcher was born in California and now lives in Australia with her family. She is an avid camper who enjoys the outdoors.