It’s amazing the effect that one simple act of kindness can have both on the giver and the receiver. Greeting a stranger with “hello” or letting a fellow driver merge ahead of you may not change the world, but it can make living in that particular moment more pleasant.

1. The Power of Hello
2. Grace Is a Gift
3. Opening the Door of Mercy
4. The Triumph of Kindness
5. The Perfect Merge

At times of loss, feelings of grief can be overwhelming. But from the crucible of that pain, we can learn more about ourselves, and about how we want to continue living in the world. Click the links below to read what these essayists discovered about the grief they experienced.

1. A Way to Honor Life
2. Motherhood Is a Sacred Gift
3. The Hardest Work You Will Ever Do
4. The Give-and-Take of Grief
5. Peaceful in My Grief

Thousands of teachers across America have asked their students to write This I Believe essays. In the process, many of those teachers have written their own statements of belief. In spite of the challenges, these educators say teaching is more than a job: it is a calling, a gift and the source of unwavering belief. Click the links below to read what they believe.

1. Life Is A Spiritual Struggle
2. Teenagers Matter
3. To Know We Are Not Alone
4. The Best Generation
5. The Courage To Strive

They work long hours performing tasks many of us wouldn’t want to do. They are present during moments of tragedy and joy. And, when we need medical care, they are often the first and last people we see. Click the links below to explore the beliefs of nurses in hospitals, in battle, and at school.

1. I Can Make Things Better
2. To Care For Those In Battle
3. Nurses Represent The Best Of Humankind
4. A Moment Of Admirable Strength
5. A Punk-Rocking Nurse

For thousands of years, men and women have chosen to become healers. Some of them have chosen to take the Hippocratic Oath and become physicians. Below, you will find essays from several of them, including some from the 1950s This I Believe series.

1. Connecting with My Patients
2. Why Pain?
3. Listening Is Powerful Medicine
4. A Goal of Service to Humankind
5. Every Person Is Precious
6. A Doctor’s Concern

Spring is here and all over the country, gardeners are beginning to start planting their gardens, or at very least start planning what they are going to plant. But more than flowers and vegetables emerge from the soil. Beliefs can grow there, too. Click the links below to read how gardening has inspired these essayists.

1. Tending Gardens And Cultivating Humanity
2. The Simple Joys of Life
3. Comfort Food
4. The Fruit Is Sweet
5. The Church of the Garden

Is there such a place? What is it like, and who might be there? Questions about heaven have occupied the minds of people for generations. In pondering these questions many of our essayists have found a belief that brings them hope and comfort. Click the links below to explore a sampling of thoughts about heaven.

1. Everyone Goes To Heaven
2. Living In My Heaven
3. A New World
4. Wherever The Rest Of My Kind Go
5. My Vision Of Heaven

In the U.S., today is known as Super Tuesday, a day when citizens of 13 states and one territory go to the polls in the presidential primaries. Today we are showcasing the This I Believe essays of seven individuals who have run for president of the United States.

1. Principles of the Republic
2. There Is No Job More Important Than Parenting
3. The People Know
4. The Willingness to Work for Solutions
5. Dictators Cannot Kill It
6. Standing Fast in Liberty
7. The Virtues of the Quiet Hero

There is much to be said about youthful exuberance and being young at heart. However, many people find that aging brings a certain kind of wisdom, peace of mind, and certainty of self. Click the links below to read how some essayists feel about growing older.

1. Wrinkles
2. A Birthday Reminder
3. Gray Hairs and Wrinkles
4. The Beauty of Aging
5. The Beauty Pop Culture Fails to Notice

It’s the beginning of a new year, and we at This I Believe are looking back at some of the most inspiring personal stories we featured in 2015. Click on the links below to revisit some of the most memorable essays from last year.

1. Moving Beyond Stereotypes
2. Less Is More
3. The Grilled Cheese Principle
4. Misspelling the Word “Of”
5. Greetings
6. Getting Lost
7. Love Without Requirement