This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. More than 70,000 of these essays, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here on our website, heard on public radio, chronicled through our books, and featured in weekly podcasts. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

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We offer sponsorship packages for businesses and organizations of any size that enable you to target your message to our radio listeners, podcast subscribers (over 175,000), and website visitors (over six million page views last year). Please click here to learn more.

Podcasts

Sign up for our free, weekly podcasts: One features contemporary essays from our NPR series, and one includes essays from the 1950s now airing on The Bob Edwards Show. You can download recent episodes individually, or subscribe to automatically receive each podcast. Learn more.

Gift Shop

This I Believe 1950s Book Edward R. Murrow’s
This I Believe
Paperback Book
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This I Believe CD 1 Edward R. Murrow’s
This I Believe CD:
Selections, Vol. 1
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This I Believe CD 2 Edward R. Murrow’s
This I Believe CD:
Selections, Vol. 2
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This I Believe Journal This I Believe
Journal/Day Planner
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This I Believe This I Believe:
The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Hardcover)
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This I Believe II This I Believe II:
More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (Hardcover)
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How To Refill An Empty Life

Albert J. Nesbitt - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
As heard on , 1950
Albert J. Nesbitt

Despite being a successful executive, Albert Nesbitt realized one day his life was empty. After some soul searching, he decided to return to the Christian principals on which he was raised. Nesbitt believes having religion is best when one actively practices it.

Click here for the full essay...

Recently Featured 1950s Essays

New Book Features Essays from the 1950s

This I Believe 1950s book

Our new anthology draws from essays broadcast on Edward R. Murrow’s This I Believe series in the 1950s. You’ll enjoy reading 50 thoughtful and inspiring statements of belief by Harry S. Truman, Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, Margaret Mead, James Michener, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many more.

Visit our shop to purchase this book and other This I Believe gifts.

Classical Music Stars of the 1950s

I Quit Carrying A Gun
Leonard Bernstein / Library of Congress photo

For the original version of This I Believe, host Edward R. Murrow invited a number of classical music artists to share their beliefs. Their essays reach beyond their profession to explore their thoughts about the world of the 1950s. Click the links below to hear what these musicians had to say.

  1. The Mountain Disappears
  2. That Little, Inner Voice
  3. The Reason For Life
  4. The High Price Of Money
  5. Uniting Into A Proud National Family