In 1996, long-time UCLA basketball coach John Wooden wrote a This I Believe essay for a special series on the Disney Channel and the Voice of America. In tribute, we present the text of Mr. Wooden’s essay, which offers some of the maxims that guided his life and tells how his father encouraged him to live up to them.

1. I Am Better Than I Used To Be

With the arrival of the New Year, we are looking back and taking stock of the old year. 2009 included some wonderful essays about tolerance, forgiveness, creativity and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting some of the beliefs presented in the past year.

On NPR:
1. Inviting the World to Dinner
2. Finding Freedom in Forgiveness
3. The Beatles Live On
4. I Am Still The Greatest
5. Saying Thanks To My Ghosts

On The Bob Edwards Show
1. The Light of a Brighter Day
2. Free Minds and Hearts at Work
3. Why I Close My Restaurant
4. When Children Are Wanted
5. The Birthright of Human Dignity

Several essayists from the original This I Believe series were influenced by the theory of evolution, including Darwin’s own grandson. Click the links below to read how these writers balanced science, faith and belief.

1. A Hope for Bettering Humanity
2. A New Control of Destiny
3. What Science Proves
4. An Inner Urge to Perfection
5. The Directing Force of Primordial Particles

Catherine Royce led an active life: she was a dancer, theater manager and deputy arts commissioner for the city of Boston. But in 2003, she was diagnosed in ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Even as the illness took a toll on her body, Catherine continued to write using a microphone and voice recognition software – and that’s how she composed her essay for This I Believe in 2006. Catherine died on March 30, a date she selected by choice. We offer this tribute to Catherine from her neighbor, NPR science reporter Richard Knox. You can also read Catherine’s This I Believe essay.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of novels, short stories, and poetry wrote an essay for This I Believe in April 2005. In his statement, Updike found his beliefs grounded in religious faith, the ideals of democracy, and the power of creative writing.

With the arrival of the New Year, we are looking back and taking stock of the old year. 2007 included some wonderful essays about life, love, war, home, the environment and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting some of the beliefs that were featured in the past year.

1. A Marriage That’s Good Enough
2. Combating the Tyranny of the Positive Attitude
3. A Potential for Brutality
4. Creating Our Own Happiness
5. Teaching a Bad Dog New Tricks
6. A Way to Honor Life