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Things Worth Remembering
The Free Press presents great literary treasures—from William Shakespeare to David Foster Wallace and beyond—that we should commit to heart.
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Things Worth Remembering: How to Ask Timeless Questions
When I first read I.B. Singer’s ‘Gimpel the Fool,’ I felt a door swing open—into faith, doubt, and a kind of storytelling I didn’t know was possible.
November 30, 2025
Joseph Epstein
Things Worth Remembering: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
The crossed-out words and penciled-in phrases in the early drafts of the Declaration of Independence tell a story of how our core principles were…
November 23, 2025
Walter Isaacson
Things Worth Remembering: When Enemies Forgive Each Other
Homer’s 'Iliad' offers an understanding of anger and grief that helps us think about our own strained relationships and political divides.
November 16, 2025
Spencer Klavan
Things Worth Remembering: Finding Meaning in the Madness of War
Memorizing poetry began as a way to kill time in the Marines. It turned into a lesson in how to live with the possibility of death.
November 9, 2025
Phil Klay
Things Worth Remembering: Scooby-Doo and the American Ethos
For more than half a century, a cartoon dog and four teenagers have been teaching Americans a radical lesson: Evil wears a human face, and goodness is…
November 2, 2025
Liel Leibovitz
Things Worth Remembering: The Wisdom of Harry Potter
The series taught a generation that honor matters.
October 26, 2025
Tiya Miles
Things Worth Remembering: The Truth Eludes Even Old Men
Every time I read T.S. Eliot’s ‘Four Quartets,’ I think my previous interpretations were wrong. But that makes the poem more meaningful.
October 19, 2025
Tara Isabella Burton
Things Worth Remembering: How to Save All the Lonely People
In 1996, David Foster Wallace tried to explain how technology could destroy us. No one paid attention. But he was right.
October 12, 2025
Ted Gioia
Things Worth Remembering: Taylor Swift’s Greatest Song
She creates aural crack cocaine for people like me, whose favorite pastime is to drill sad songs into our brain on repeat.
October 5, 2025
Hadley Freeman
Things Worth Remembering: To Be Worthy of Standing Before God
On Yom Kippur, we ask how to live a meaningful life. A poem by Robert Frost offers a striking answer.
September 28, 2025
Meir Soloveichik
Things Worth Remembering: Your Work Can Outlive You
The poet’s project is to connect with the kind of ancient beauty that has lasted for millennia, and will stay vital long after our own short lives have…
September 21, 2025
Spencer Klavan
Things Worth Remembering: ‘Let Us Dedicate Ourselves’
Robert F. Kennedy offers a master class in what to say when a man you disagreed with is murdered in cold blood.
September 14, 2025
Will Rahn
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