This I Believe

The moving and powerful first-person essays in this book explore the core beliefs and guiding principles by which Americans live. Filled with valuable insights distilled from a wide range of personal experiences, This I Believe: Life Lessons is a perfect gift--for others or for yourself. "The turning points in my life have not been the times I succeeded at something, but the times I've whispered, 'I'm lost, ' or 'Help me, ' or 'I need a friend.' I believe sometimes our vulnerability is our strength." -- Colin Bates, student and resident service assistant for people with mental disabilities "I believe you need to listen, carefully, to hear your inner voice. And then you have to do what it says." -- Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "I believe that saying no to some of life's shimmering pleasures buys me a moment of peace and a small sovereign patch where I can pause and ask what it is my heart truly desires. No is not deprivation, it's deliberation. No is not loss, it's freedom." -- Jessica Paris, educator "I have seen time and time again that when people find their commonalities, they are more likely to come together and become friends, even under the most stressful conditions. This I believe." -- Sgt. Maj. Larry Chaston (Ret.), Vietnam and Afghanistan veteran, and engineer