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

Bill Gates is an optimist who believes that intelligence and creativity can make the world a better place. He loves problem solving and computers, and believes that achieving success gives him the responsibility to work on solving the world’s problems.

Bill Gates is a Founder and Chairman of Microsoft, and of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation charity.

Cecile Gilmer was taken in by the parents of her best friend at age 15 after her father proved unable to take care of her following the death by suicide of her mother and his separation from her stepmother. Her friend’s parents treated Gilmer like a second daughter and raised her into a happy, emotionally healthy adult.

Gilmer is an event planner currently living in Utah.

Newt Gingrich saw many of the horrors of the 20th century firsthand, or heard about them from eyewitnesses as a young man. He learnt that the world is dangerous, and that prosperity, freedom, and civilization are all dependent on quality leaders, courageous people, and the willingness of humanity to face facts and work together to find solutions.

Gingrich is a former Republican Congressman and Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

As he returned from his service in the Vietnam War, Miles Goodwin feared facing hostility due to the unpopularity of the war. He was reassured and moved by words of welcome and the gift of a magazine from a young girl during his journey home. This experience inspired him to always reach out to strangers, in the hopes that his kindness might have a similar impact on others.

Goodwin worked as an army clerk during the Vietnam War, and is now a real estate attorney living in Milwaukee.

From the 1950s series.



Martha Graham believes that living, like dancing, is learnt through practice. In life and dance the body is the instrument, and success requires the cultivation of body and soul. Practice is an act of faith, and movement is a testament to the hard work and practice which went into it.

Graham was a ballet dancer, choreographer, and founder of modern dance. Over the course of her career she created 181 ballets.

Temple Grandin has autism, which influences her perspective and thought patterns. She believes in doing practical things to make the world a better place, and has dedicated herself to making slaughterhouses more humane.

Grandin is an author and Associate Professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She is responsible for designing more than a third of livestock handling facilities in the USA.

Brian Grazer believes that he has to push himself out of his comfort zone and make things more difficult for himself in order to keep learning and growing. He learnt to surf, and seeks out conversations with interesting people despite his discomfort and fear. He believes that if you are not growing, you are dying.

Grazer is a multi-award-winning movie and television producer.

Science inspires joy in Brian Greene, who enjoys using his ingenuity to better understand and appreciate the universe. Science is spiritually elevating, and he regrets that some children are deprived of the chance to enjoy it by a substandard experience of education.

Greene is a scientist and author from New York. He teaches physics and mathematics at Columbia University.

Ted Gup was never certain of his own beliefs on important current events, which often made him feel inadequate. He impressed the editor of the Post and eventually earned a job with the paper despite this, and now knows the value of uncertain people or “wobblies” in moderating ideological conflicts.

Gup is a journalist and author. He teaches journalism at Case Western Reserve University.

Debbie Hall believes in the importance of being present. She was met with immediate gratitude upon arriving to offer mental health support with the Red Cross at a refugee camp for Hurricane Katerina evacuees, and has forged intimate connections by being present to support others through hardship.

Hall is a psychologist living in California. She works in the Pediatrics Department of San Diego’s Naval Medical Center, and volunteers for the Disaster Mental Health Team of the Red Cross.

Jane Hamill’s belief in Barbie is a belief in herself and her ability to live any life that she chooses. She lives the cool life she envisaged for her dolls as a child, and helps people to feel confident in their identity by designing clothes.

Hamill is a fashion designer from Chicago, a member of the Apparel Industry Board, and a member of the advisory board of Chicago’s Columbia College.

From the 1950s series.

Oscar Hammerstein II has suffered hardships and setbacks in his life, but ultimately considers himself happy. He believes it is important to talk about being happy, because one hears so much about unhappiness. Nature is imperfect, but miraculously persists regardless, just as life is imperfect but full of joy regardless.

Hammerstein wrote many of the most successful and celebrated operettas and musicals of the 20th century.

Victor Hanson feels connected to his family history even when he is far away from the family farm, which has been tended by six generations of his family. Although things change rapidly in the modern era, human nature remains the same and the seasons continue to turn.

Hanson is a professor of military history at California State University, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute.

Joy Harjo continues her people’s traditions by worshipping the sun. She believes that climate change is an inevitable consequence of the lack of reciprocity in humanity’s relationship with the earth. She recalls dedicating her fourth granddaughter to the sunrise in Times Square.

Harjo lives in Honolulu and is a member of the Muskogee Creek Nation. She is a musician and poet, and teaches creative writing at the University of New Mexico.

From the 1950s series.

In her younger years Helen Hayes prided herself on being independent and successful, such as when she was able to save her cocker spaniel by scaring off three larger dogs attacking it. However, when her daughter was ill with polio she rediscovered her long-neglected religion in a small church near the hospital. Seeing other worshippers provided her with the sense of sublime connection she sought, and she now reads the Bible as though seeking advice from a friend.

Hayes was a multi-award-winning actress of screen and stage.

From the 1950s series.

Robert A. Heinlein believes in his fellow humans. He believes that acts of goodness far outnumber evil deeds, that decent people vastly outnumber selfish people, and that humanity is ultimately and inherently good. He believes that humans will one day populate the galaxy beyond Earth.

Heinlein is a multi-award-winning science fiction writer from Missouri. He served as a naval aeronautical engineer during WWII.

From the 1950s series.

As a youth, Maximilian Hodder believed in the good of humanity. Then he suffered extreme hardship under the Nazi and Soviet regimes. His losses made him bitter and cynical, but upon moving to America and experiencing kindness, he rediscovered his faith in people. He believes it is his duty to contribute to the good of America, and that everyone has the right to live freely.

Hodder was a movie Director from Poland who came to work in Hollywood. He served in the Polish army and Royal Airforce during WWII.

Kay Redfield Jamison believes that strong and volatile emotions are equally as important as logic and discipline. She has bipolar disorder, and prefers her restlessness and impulsivity to the tranquility she sees in others’ lives.

Jamison is an author and professor of psychiatry at the John Hopkins School of Medicine.

Penn Jillette believes that there is no God. This is an affirmative belief in the absence of a deity rather than a disbelief in said deity, and it allows him to enjoy his life more fully than if he were focused on spiritual matters or the afterlife.

Jillette is an author, producer, and research fellow at the Cato Institute. He is also a member of the magic comedy duo Penn and Teller.