Our Noble, Essential Decency
This I Believe: Our Noble, Essential Decency is an essay written and recorded by Robert A. Heinlein in 1952, as part of the Edward R. Murrow's series "This I Believe" on the CBS Radio Network, generally seen as the most popular of that series. The essay. Heinlein's essay differs from others in the series by focusing on Heinlein's belief in "my fellow man", naming individuals and communities in the United States in general. He starts out by saying he's not going to discuss religious beliefs, but "matters so obvious that it has  gone out of style to mention them." Initially, he mentions specific people, his neighbors, mentioning by name a local pastor of a different denomination than himself and the local veterinarian, and describing their charitable behavior. He goes on to say: He then names the members of a number of professions seen as serving the public good, like nurses and craftsmen. He makes the unusual assertion (both for the times, and considering his own libertarian ideals) of saying he believes in most politicians. Most. A noteworthy entry in his list is Rodger Young, a Medal of Honor recipient from WWII and  the kickoff for his inclusion of "unnamed heroes from Valley Forge to the Yalu River", and his general pride in being an American. But the essay is also seen as noteworthy in his subsequent inclusion of "my whole race—yellow, white, black, red, brown—in the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability, and goodness of the overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters everywhere on this planet. I am proud to be a human being." Reception. Generally the best-received entry in the series, Heinlein's essay has continued to be cited as a favorite, according to the This I Believe, Inc. , which still promotes the series and cultivates new essays. It was published as "This I Believe", in the 1992 Heinlein anthology, Requiem, in the audiobook version read by his widow Virginia Heinlein.