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

Studs Terkel notes that the concerns and problems that plague America in the 2000s are the same ones that motivated Edward R. Murrow to broadcast the first program of This I Believe in the 1950s. The same concerns also featured in the writings of the revolutionary Thomas Paine in the 18th century. Terkel claims that all people seek freedom, which requires truth and reason, but that in times of conflict freedom is often suppressed by governments suspicious of unconventional beliefs.

Terkel shares many of his own beliefs with other essayists who contributed to this volume. He agrees with Andrew Sullivan that the pursuit of happiness is ultimately more significant than its attainment. He also shares Hellen Keller’s belief in the power of activism, having seen the power of collective action during the Great Depression when neighbors helped to move an evicted family back into their home. He also concurs with Albert Einstein’s observation that while many Westerners seem to believe that joining a union or community curbs their individual freedom, the opposite is actually true. Terkel values truth, as do all of the writers who express their honest perspective publicly. He contrasts the Biblical figure Pontius Pilate, who tried to absolve himself of guilt in spite of the truth, with modern journalists such as James Cameron and Errol Morris, who pursue truth at the expense of their own comfort.