Essays audiobooks

The Mountain Disappears

By: Leonard Bernstein

Narrated by: Leonard Bernstein

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein expresses his belief in the potential of people to create change, in "The Mountain Disappears," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing... Read more

A Duty to Heal

By: Pius Kamau

Narrated by: Pius Kamau

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Surgeon Pius Kamau describes caring for patients regardless of their racial views in "A Duty to Heal", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the... Read more

Living Life with Grace and Elegant Treeness

By: Ruth Kamps

Narrated by: Ruth Kamps

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Ruth Kamps finds solace in nature and inspiration in the pine tree growing outside her kitchen window in "Living Life With 'Grace And Elegant Treeness'", her contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins... Read more

The Light of a Brighter Day

By: Helen Keller

Narrated by: Helen Keller

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, deaf and blind author, activist, and lecturer Helen Keller discusses her vision of faith and how it gives her hope for the future of mankind in "The Light of a Brighter Day", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans,... Read more

The Power of Love to Transform and Heal

By: Jackie Lantry

Narrated by: Jackie Lantry

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Jackie Lantry describes meeting her adopted Chinese son for the first time in "The Power of Love to Transform and to Heal," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

The Power of Mysteries

By: Alan Lightman

Narrated by: Alan Lightman

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Astrophysicist and novelist Alan Lightman explains how the unknown fuels human creativity in "The Power of Mysteries," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces... Read more

Life Grows in the Soil of Time

By: Thomas Mann

Narrated by: Thomas Mann

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, novelist and essayist Thomas Mann expresses appreciation that time gives humanity a sense of life’s value in "Life Grows in the Soil of Time", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown,... Read more

Why I Close My Restaurant

By: George Mardikian

Narrated by: George Mardikian

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, restaurateur George Mardikian tells of his immigration to the United States and how he tries to repay the warm embrace Americans have given him, in “A New Birth of Freedom”, his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from... Read more

There is Such a Thing as Truth

By: Errol Morris

Narrated by: Errol Morris

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Filmmaker Errol Morris contemplates the lengths people may go to uncover--or deny--the facts in "There Is Such a Thing as Truth," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

The Rule of Law

By: Michael Mullane

Narrated by: Michael Mullane

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Professor and attorney Michael Mullane says that we are all protected by and accountable to the law, in "The Rule of Law," his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces... Read more

Mysterious Connections that Link Us Together

By: Azar Nafisi

Narrated by: Azar Nafisi

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Professor and author Azar Nafisi remembers empathy from unexpected sources in "Mysterious Connections that Link Us Together", her contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

The Making of Poems

By: Gregory Orr

Narrated by: Gregory Orr

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Poet Gregory Orr reflects on the power of poetry to help people endure traumatic events and isolation in "The Making of Poems", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

We Are Each Other's Business

By: Eboo Patel

Narrated by: Eboo Patel

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Eboo Patel discusses the importance of active interfaith support in addition to tolerance in "We Are Each Other's Business," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

The 50-Percent Theory of Life

By: Steve Porter

Narrated by: Steve Porter

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Steve Porter uses his experience on the family farm to explain his "50-Percent Theory of Life" for NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners... Read more

The Real Consequences of Justice

By: Frederic Reamer

Narrated by: Frederic Reamer

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Frederic Reamer finds his belief in justice tested every time he faces criminals and victims at parole board hearings in "The Real Consequences of Justice," his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins... Read more

There is More to Life than Life

By: Jamaica Ritcher

Narrated by: Jamaica Ritcher

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

A daughter's question about their dead cat leads Jamaica Ritcher to realize her beliefs, in "There Is More to Life Than My Life," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

Tomorrow Will be a Better Day

By: Josh Rittenberg

Narrated by: Josh Rittenberg

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Teenager Josh Rittenberg contemplates the past his ancestors overcome and the future his generation faces in "Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day," his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the... Read more

Free Minds and Hearts at Work

By: Jackie Robinson

Narrated by: Jackie Robinson

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, baseball legend Jackie Robinson reflects on fighting imperfection to create a better world in "Free Minds and Hearts at Work", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the... Read more

The Artistry in Hidden Talents

By: Mel Rusnov

Narrated by: Mel Rusnov

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Mel Rusnov describes the delight of discovering "The Artistry of Hidden Talents", especially music, in people otherwise defined by their careers, for NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

When Children Are Wanted

By: Margaret Sanger

Narrated by: Margaret Sanger

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger explains how wanting children before conception can lead to greater good in the world, in "When Children Are Wanted," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous... Read more

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

By: Andrew Sullivan

Narrated by: Andrew Sullivan

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Andrew Sullivan reflects on what some of America's most fundamental values mean to him in "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series... Read more

Always Go to the Funeral

By: Deirdre Sullivan

Narrated by: Deirdre Sullivan

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Deidre Sullivan describes the lessons she learned from her father's advice to "Always Go To The Funeral" for NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel... Read more

Finding Prosperity By Feeding Monkeys

By: Harold Taw

Narrated by: Harold Taw

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Harold Taw explains an unusual birthday tradition in "Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program... Read more

I Agree with a Pagan

By: Arnold Toynbee

Narrated by: Arnold Toynbee

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, historian Arnold Toynbee describes how relating to others, even when it causes us to suffer, makes us human, in "I Agree With A Pagan", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing... Read more