This I Believe

When Sozi Tulante was only a boy, he and his family fled the Congo and found themselves in the United States, where they were able to start a new life. Mr. Tulante believes in the country that granted them political asylum, and he believes in the city that welcomed them home. Also heard is a 1950s This I Believe essay from Philadelphia businessman Cyril Fox.

A fertility doctor once told Linda Lascola Balestracci that she should just accept the fact that she would never be a mother. But two adopted sons, two step-sons, and four grandchildren later, Ms. Balestracci has found joy beyond measure in the true meaning of family.

Differences deserve respect

By all outward appearances, Joshua Yuchasz is a regular teenager. But his classmates still tease him about the thing that makes him different, Asperger’s Syndrome. Yuchasz believes it’s our differences that deserve respect.

Melissa Weiler Gerber believes that "the little things" are a big deal. From remembering someone's birthday with the perfect card to receiving a handwritten note for a special occasion, Weiler Gerber believes that paying attention to the little things can elevate ordinary experiences.

The Reverend Charles L. Howard was a student at the University of Pennsylvania, and now he is a chaplain there. In his first year, he was given just three small words of advice, but those words had a large impact on how Howard offers guidance to others, as well as how he looks at life.

Cameron Bove doesn't take the giving or receiving of a hug lightly. That small gesture of putting her arms around someone else conveys love, acceptance, and sometimes even forgiveness. Ms. Bove believes that a hug can change the world.

When Alexxandra Shuman was in eighth grade, she was diagnosed with clinical depression. But it took more than medication for her to feel happy again. Ms. Shuman believes she has to look in the right places in order to find happiness.

Delia Motavalli has grown up watching movies about fairy tales and princesses. But after she received a piece of advice from her mother, Delia has come to realize her own definition of "happily ever after."

When Jason Oda was in the first grade, he had an experience that has stuck with him into adulthood. As he has grown older, he has realized the importance of questioning the rules and traditions of the past and not accepting "just because" as a valid answer to life's questions.

Joyce Mason once lived in a neighborhood that enforced a residential code preventing her from hanging quilts out in the fresh air. More than simply taking away one of her childhood pleasures, she found that she could not accept giving up her personal freedom.

When Sefa Mawuli was a young girl, she regularly accompanied her grandmother to help put in a day's work at a yam farm in rural Ghana. During their walks through the village on their way to the farm, Ms. Mawuli learned a lifelong lesson about greeting those you meet along your path.

Ten years ago, Joy N. Hensley hiked 600 miles of the Appalachian Trail, leaving behind the news of world events and endless traffic hassles in favor of the simple sounds of birds chirping and leaves crunching underfoot. Now that she is married and a mother of two, she still values the life lessons she learned on the Trail.

As a college student traveling abroad, Madeleine McGuire found herself separated from her group, stranded in a train station in Morocco. She didn't know where she was, and she did not speak the local language; however, one interaction with a perfect stranger helped her overcome her fears of being lost.

As a college student traveling abroad, Madeleine McGuire found herself separated from her group, stranded in a train station in Morocco. She didn't know where she was, and she did not speak the local language; however, one interaction with a perfect stranger helped her overcome her fears of being lost.