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Inspiration Essays

When it comes to writing an inspiration essay, the topic you choose plays a crucial role in the success of your essay. The right topic can ignite your creativity, motivate you to dig deeper, and ultimately produce a compelling piece of writing. In this article, we will discuss the importance of choosing the right topic, provide advice on selecting a topic, and present a detailed list of recommended inspiration essay topics.

The topic of your essay sets the tone and direction for the entire piece. It's the foundation on which you build your ideas and arguments. A strong, well-chosen topic can captivate your readers and make your essay stand out. On the other hand, a weak or uninspiring topic can make your essay fall flat, no matter how well-written it is.

Choosing the right topic can also make the writing process more enjoyable and engaging. When you are passionate about the topic, it's easier to stay motivated and committed to the writing process. It can also lead to a more authentic and compelling essay, as your enthusiasm will shine through in your writing.

When choosing a topic for your inspiration essay, consider the following:

• Reflect on your own experiences and passions
• Consider current events or social issues that inspire you
• Explore personal heroes, mentors, or role models
• Think about moments of triumph or overcoming adversity

Remember, the best topics are often those that resonate with you on a personal level, as they will be more likely to inspire and captivate your audience.

Recommended Inspiration Essay Topics

If you're looking for inspirational essay topics, you've come to the right place! We've compiled a list of thought-provoking topics to help you get started on your next essay. Take a look at our categorized list below and get inspired to start writing!

Personal Inspiration Essay Topics

• The moment that changed my life
• Overcoming a personal challenge
• Lessons learned from a failure
• The person who inspires me the most
• My biggest dream and how I plan to achieve it

Societal Inspiration Essay Topics

• How can we promote kindness and compassion in our communities?
• The impact of social media on mental health
• Addressing the stigma of mental illness
• Empowering women in male-dominated industries
• Combating racism and discrimination in today's society

Historical Inspiration Essay Topics

• The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement
• The significance of the women's suffrage movement
• Lessons learned from the Holocaust
• The impact of the Industrial Revolution on society
• The importance of Nelson Mandela's leadership in ending apartheid

Environmental Inspiration Essay Topics

• The urgency of addressing climate change
• The impact of deforestation on wildlife and ecosystems
• Advancements in renewable energy technology
• The role of individuals in preserving the environment
• Protecting endangered species and biodiversity

These are just a few examples of the many inspiration essay topics you could explore. Whether you choose a topic from the list above or come up with your own, remember that the key is to select a topic that resonates with you and has the potential to inspire both you and your audience.

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Inspirational College Application Essay Decoded!

Updated: July 11, 2022

Published: October 29, 2021

If you are applying to a college that requires a college application essay, you will undoubtedly want your college essay to leave a lasting impression on its readers. 

Many colleges request a college application essay; some colleges will provide prospective students with the topic they want you to write about, while others will leave the choice up to you.  

So, how do you write an inspirational essay? There’s no single right way to source college essay inspiration, but there are some recommendations that we’ve compiled here to help you along with your process. 

What is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement, or college application essay, is an opportunity to share something about yourself through writing that the college admissions team won’t necessarily glean from your resume , transcript, or letters of recommendation. 

It provides applicants with the space to share more about their personality and complement the other pieces of your application to offer a well-rounded picture of who you are. 

Things to Note 

Before you get started on your college essay, there are some important things to keep in mind . You’ll likely have been spending a lot of time compiling all the other components for your application, which may include transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, letters of recommendation, and more. 

When it comes time to write your personal statement, be sure to:

Read the Directions Closely

Many prospective students and enrolled students will note that their college essay was the most challenging aspect of completing their college application. This is because it requires the most thought, time, and can also be somewhat open-ended. As such, it’s vital that students read the college essay guidelines and directions closely. In itself, the college essay is like a test for college admissions committees to see how well you can follow directions. 

Avoid Clichés 

There are many inspirational essay examples you can choose from to find ideas, but when using inspiration, avoid using clichés. While clichés exist for a reason because they are based in truth, many students will likely use them. To prevent your essay from getting overlooked, use your own words and voice to describe what you write about so that you can stand apart. 

Once you have your essay drafted, be sure to plan enough time to proofread and edit your work. Even if you feel unsure of putting words on the page, write them down. You can spend time making it better with a second, third, and fourth look. The proofreading stage should also include an objective set of eyes (someone you trust) who can give you their honest opinion about your essay.

A Step-by-Step Guide 

Your college essay isn’t going to write itself. You have to put in the work, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide that should help you start and finish your inspirational college essay. 

Organize and Brainstorm 

Before you get started on drafting your college essay, organize your thoughts. If you’ve been given essay prompts, dedicate at least 5-10 minutes to each prompt to think about what you may write about.  

Choose Your Topic 

Based on how much you come up with for each prompt, you can choose which prompt will suit your story the best. If you have an open-ended prompt, think about defining moments in your life, your passions, inspirations, achievements, and the like to come up with some ideas of what you can share. 

Create an Outline 

There will be a lot of details that you’ll want to add to your essay to convey your point(s). To keep the flow organized, begin by outlining what you will talk about. A clear starting point is a brief introduction with a hook sentence to grab the reader’s attention. Then, list where you will go next with main points and supporting evidence (anecdotes from your past, examples of your point, etc.). Finish up with a conclusion that reiterates your main point (topic/gist), and close out with something that leaves the reader thinking or feeling something strongly so that your essay lingers in their mind. 

Once you have your outline sorted, you can get to drafting up your inspirational essay. While it’s difficult not to edit as you write, try to let everything out. You’ll have time to clean it up after, but allowing your train of thought to appear on the page may lead to something brilliant. 

Many college essays will provide you with a maximum word count. Remain aware of this word count as you write. 

Pro Tip: If you use Google Docs, go to Tools> Word Count> Select “Display Word Count While Typing.”

The chances are, you’ll probably find it easier to write more than less. To cut down your word count, read each sentence and ask yourself if that sentence or word is necessary to convey your point. Keep an eye on grammar and spelling. Even though you will use the word processor’s spelling and grammar review upon completion, it doesn’t always catch everything. 

After you’ve edited down your college essay, read it over a few times, and entrust someone (or multiple people) to give you some feedback. Try not to take the feedback personally, as the people you allow to read your essay will likely have your best interest in mind, and they are just trying to help you write a better final product. 

College Essay Inspiration 

You’ll want your personal statement to be considered an inspirational college essay. To make this vision a reality, remember to: 

• Be passionate 
• Be specific 
• Be yourself 

Some topics that make for inspirational college essays include stories about:

• Overcoming a challenge 
• Learning something new 
• Making a significant life change 
• Sharing an epiphany 
• Expressing your interests and reasoning 

Your Story is Important 

Whether you believe it or not, your personal statement and story is important. No two people have the same life circumstance or outlook as another, so sharing your truth with a college admissions team can be the root of inspiration, and ultimately, admission. 

Believe in yourself and your words, and take the necessary time to prepare, edit, and write your very own inspirational essay for college. The truth is that it can be all the difference to granting your acceptance into the college of your dreams.

Related Articles

The internet can be a dark and, quite often, violent place for women — many of whom are subjected to trolling, harassment, and threats on a daily basis. But it can also be a truly wonderful place, one that provides free access to news, educational resources, entertainment, communication, and wealth of incredible writing — including these empowering essays by women you can read online right now . Written by Cecile Richards, Lindy West, Lady Gaga, and more, these essays are filled with inspiration and wisdom to guide you through your day.

For female readers, the online world can sometimes feel like a minefield, one that is littered with destructive words meant to tear women down or shut them up. But for famous authors and writers, beloved celebrities, and popular athletes, it can also serve as the perfect platform to share their empowering stories, which often include plenty of inspirational anecdotes and practical advice that makes the whole mess of the internet worth it.

Whether you’re looking for a bit of guidance in your own life, or hoping to inspire your friends with some sage advice from more experienced women, here are nine empowering essays you can read for free online right now .

"The Most Daring Women Don’t Always Make Headlines" by Cecile Richards

"Today, women across this country are doing her proud. The earth is shifting under the force of millions of women standing up for themselves, for each other, for their daughters and their mothers and sisters," writes the former president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Cecile Richards in her inspiring piece about women and activism for Harper's Bazaar . "Women are no longer asking for permission. They’re just diving in and taking risks. They know we can’t afford to sit this one out."

Read the full essay here .

"Rebranding Motherhood" by Diksha Basu

"If anything, so far being a mother feels quite delightfully self-indulgent. I have a daughter in whom I can constantly look for and find little bits of myself or, better yet, improved bits of myself," writes Windfall author Dikashu Basu in a moving essay for The New York Times about redefining motherhood. "Recently a construction worker called out to me on the street in Lower Manhattan and I got my angry anti-catcalling face ready to respond but he very respectfully said, 'You have a beautiful daughter, ma’am.' My vanity now has two bodies within which to reside — the sacrifice looks more like narcissism from certain angles."

Read the full essay here.

"This Is Survival" by Aly Raisman

In a heartbreaking but incredibly powerful essay for The Players' Tribune , American gymnast Aly Raisman opens up about her experience with sexual abuse, and offers some words of encouragement to anyone else who has gone through the same thing. "I am not a victim. I am a survivor. The abuse does not define me, or anyone else who has been abused. This does not define the millions of those who’ve suffered sexual abuse," the two-time Olympian writes. "They are not victims, either. They are survivors. They are strong, they are brave, they are changing things so the next generation never has to go through what they did."

"What I Learned at War" by Tammy Duckworth

Senator Tammy Duckworth has often spoken out about her time serving in the U.S. army, including in this persuasive essay about the price of war and what it can teach us that she wrote for Politico. "That day, I lost both of my legs, but I was given a second chance at life," she writes, recounting her experience fighting in the Iraq War. "It’s a feeling that has helped to drive me in my second chance at service—no one should be left behind, and every American deserves another chance."

"The 'Perfect Body' Is a Lie. I Believed It For a Long Time and Let It Shrink My Life" by Lindy West

If you have read Lindy West's memoir Shrill , you know that she has a lot of incredibly insightful things to say fat acceptance and body positivity. In an essay for The Guardian, she shares some of them, saying "The 'perfect body' is a lie. I believed in it for a long time, and I let it shape my life, and shrink it – my real life, populated by my real body. Don’t let fiction tell you what to do. In the omnidirectional orgy gardens of Vlaxnoid, no one cares about your arm flab."

"Bring It On" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

The first Muslim American to medal in the Olympics, fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad opened up about what it is like to compete in an sport where so few people look like her. "One day, during a fifteen-hour flight to a training camp in Beijing, I arrived at a moment where I said enough is enough — I’d spent years fighting for every win, every opportunity, every ounce of respect on my path to becoming an Olympian, and I was no longer going to allow other people to affect how I perceived myself or restrict what I was capable of," she writes in Lenny Letter. "When people stared me down at a tournament, I didn’t know if it was a race thing or a religious thing or that they weren’t ready for change, but I finally realized: Why was that burden on me to figure out? I didn’t have the time to acquire their baggage or analyze why anyone wanted to make me feel inferior. I had a job to do on that team, and that job was winning a medal."

"Why It's So Important That CEOs Like Me Speak Out Against Trump" by Reshma Saujani

In an essay about corporate responsibility in the age of Trump by Reshma Saujani, the Girls Who Code founder and CEO reminds readers that individuals have a lot of power to enact change. "But if every American has the power to sway a CEO," she argues in a piece for Teen Vogue, "then every American quite literally has a chance to sway public opinion, to shape the way we talk and think and act on our values system — to change the way we treat our fellow Americans and those who come here seeking a better life for their families."

"Ava DuVernay on How to 'Pivot Towards Positivity' in Trying Times" by Ava DuVernay

There are few creatives as wise, or as giving when it comes to advice, as A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay. "These days I’m a lot less competitive, a lot less concerned about what other people do. I’m much more focused on the things that make me happy," she writes in an inspirational essay for InStyle. "I believe that good comes when you put out good, and so I just try to emanate joyful vibes. Why not? I’m not going to spend my day hating on someone else. I’ve got so many better and more joy-filled things to do."

"Portrait of a Lady" by Lady Gaga

In her 2016 essay on being a woman in the modern world, Lady Gaga opens up and offers a truly refreshing and inspiring perspective. "Being a lady today means being a fighter. It means being a survivor," she writes. "It means letting yourself be vulnerable and acknowledging your shame or that you're sad or you're angry. It takes great strength to do that."

73 Inspiration Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best inspiration topic ideas & essay examples, ⭐ good research topics about inspiration, 👍 simple & easy inspiration essay titles.

• My Inspiration for Reading She has since revealed to me that I was her first audience and my opinions mattered a lot. There was a time I wanted to write children’s books like my aunt.
• Inspiration Theories in the Bible The dynamic theory holds the view that inspiration is a supernatural act or fact and it is the work of the Lord God not the work of man or any other thing.
• Special Places to Relax & Find Inspiration Museums are places where you get to feel and experience our cultural wealth in a manner that is hard to copy in the physical world.
• 3D Animation: Main Inspirations and Personal Experience I have read that an understanding of the underlying story and a keen interest in storytelling is essential to build a good animation. This I have found that a number of institutes in the country […]
• Inspirational Speech: The Last Lecture by Randolph Pausch The Last Lecture by Randolph Pausch is a good example of an inspirational speech that prompts the listeners to reevaluate their views on life, death and relations between people. The introduction of his speech contained […]
• “Rust Red Hills” by Georgia O’Keeffe Used for Inspiration The aesthetics and experience of art inspire modern artists and impact the emergence of new works created under the influence of past works.
• The Italian Town Siena: Continued Inspiration for Urban Designers In the area of urban planning, Siena is the medieval of a medieval city and constantly rivalled Florence in urban structures.
• Inspiration of “Diamonds” Song by Rihanna Sia wrote the song for Rihanna, who holds the song’s copyrights and worked on it a year prior; therefore, the song is owned by an independent contractor.
• Engineer Career and Inspirations Leonardo was the first to design a glider in the history of humanity and that glider, designed in the fifteenth century, has much in common with a glider of the twenty-first century.
• Inspiration and Hope in the “Gone with the Wind” Gone with the Wind is a captivating love story that is set in the civil war era in America, which is a re-enactment of a literal work by the same name.
• Fashion Source of Inspiration It needs to be said that experimentation is a critical part of the process, and some colors may have to be slightly changed.
• Robert Kiyosaki as an Inspirational Leader He worked as the third mate on a tanker for half a year but decided that the job was not for him and returned to the army.
• Why Is Samsung Considered a Design Inspiration? The reimagined camera is one of the key features of the Samsung smartphone that reflects the inspirational design. Samsung employs the horizontal integration strategy in the production of its smartphones and other products.
• Searching for the Source of Inspiration: The Image of a True Leader Indeed, as a spiritual leader, Jesus can be considered the epitome of inspiration and an eternal, perpetual source of wisdom due to His compassion and empathy for each and every one of the members of […]
• The Catholic Doctrine of the Inspiration of Sacred Scripture For example, there is the doctrine of the Bible, the doctrine of God, the principle of man, the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of the Church, etc.
• Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa as a Source of Inspiration In both Mona Lisa and Instafamous, Lisa del Gioconda is at the center of the composition. However, in Mona Lisa, it is Da Vinci’s gaze that determines how she is depicted and perceived, while in […]
• Art Inspiration and Production The memes of the recent times increasingly use their platform to lambast and make fun of existing properties and the culture of the past.
• Inspiration From Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Sox) That is beside the requirements outlined in the act on how organizations should implement and comply with each section of the act to adhere to the law.
• Inspiration From Sarbanes-Oxley Act The benefits of adopting the act form the specific area of study, leading to the question of, what benefits inspired corporate entities to adopt the Sarbanes-Oxley Act?
• A Genius and His Muse: The Essence of Inspiration The incredible diversity of the relationship “schemes” between a genius and his muse leads to a following idea: in the image of his woman an artist finds what he needs himself.
• Art Appreciation. Inspiration of an Artwork The inspiration from the works of the Italian Renaissance artist such as Leonardo and Botticelli brought the idea of works that can fit within the same context.
• Renaissance as an Inspirational Era in Europe The development of crafts and trade, the rise of the role of cities, as well as political events in Western Europe in the XII and XIII centuries entailed significant changes in the whole way of […]
• Anatomy of Leadership and Inspiration This is instrumental in ensuring that there are development and improvement in the lives of people. Division of labor will ensure the change in the organization is sustained.
• Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Through Motivation and Inspiration Leadership, on the contrary, demands that a leader should be able to make positive changes in the society and seek positive solutions to problems in the society.
• Edvard Munch’s Inspirations and Approach His art bears a distinctive imprint of psychological anguish and often resorts to the controversial themes related to sexuality, illness, and the origins of the supernatural.
• Leadership: Providing Purpose, Motivation and Inspiration Purpose refers to the goals that the leader and the organization in general seek to fulfill. As such, a leader must understand and assist the subordinates to meet their personal goals.
• Stylistics: Poetry’s Spirit and Inspiration However, this process is impossible without inspiration, some kind of an insight which helps to understand the idea which comes in the head of a poet and to put it into words. The name of […]
• Charismatic vs. Inspirational Leadership The other characteristic of the followers of charismatic leaders is the willingness to be subordinates. Showing concern for followers is important in inspirational and charismatic leadership since it helps the leaders to win the trust […]
• Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible The evidences of the fact that the Bible is the authoritative source of the Word of God are given in the biblical text itself.
• Where Creativity and Inspiration Originate The different disciplines of art can also be used to define humanity with religion and history being a factor, with science and technology embracing the entirety of the human nature and hindering its raw creativity […]
• Thomas Jefferson as the Greatest Teacher and Source of Inspiration In his notes on the state of Virginia he attacked slavery and thought that it was duty of the state and society to release slaves.
• For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
• Inspiration, Innovation, and Invention: Three Impossible Paradigms
• Difference Between Motivation Satisfaction Inspiration and Manipulation
• The Most Effective Source of Inspiration
• Beowulf and Jesus: Sacrifice and Inspiration
• Intense Personal Memories and Reflections as an Inspiration to Poets
• Inspiration and Influence: What’s the Difference
• Food Sensitivities: Inspiration, Not Deprivation
• Inspiration: How to Discover What Inspires You in Life
• The Contrast Between Individual Inspiration and the Influences of Age
• Inspiration and Trust: The Moral Catalysts for True Loyalty
• Modeling Inspiration for Innovative NPD: Lessons From Biomimetics
• Inspiration vs. Perspiration: How to Overcome Creative Block
• Different Ways of Inspirations: Passive and Active Inspiration
• The Problems and Assess the Validity of the Concept of Inspiration in Scripture
• Dante Alighieri and the Love for Beatrice Portinari as His Inspiration
• Inspiration and Perspiration Factors in Economic Growth: The Former Soviet Union Area Versus China
• Passion and Motivation as Parts of Inspiration
• Culture and Motivation: Business, Employee Inspiration
• Inspiration Throughout Life: Energized, Hopeful, and Engaged
• Leadership, Creativity and the Arts as a Source of Inspiration
• Design-Thinking, Inspiration, and Ideation
• Inspiration From the Biggest Loser: Social Interactions in a Weight Loss Program
• Answering the Call: Inspiration for Teachers
• Inspiration and Education Achieved Through Poetry
• Three Kinds of Inspiration: Rational, Emotive, and Serendipitous
• Inspiration: The Most Important Leadership Trait, Fueled by Passion and Purpose
• Getting Inspiration From Historical Sources of Fashion
• Art: How Key Historical Events Serve as the Inspiration
• Inspiration From Games and Entertainment Artifacts: A Rising Paradigm for Designing Mechanisms and Algorithms in Robotics
• Leadership, Inspiration, and Motivation
• Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of the New Testament
• Psychology: Ideas, Inspiration, and Attitudes to Change
• Inspiration for Integration: Labor Market Policies for Refugees
• Biblical Authority, Inspiration, and Inerrancy of the Bible and the Pote
• Inspiration: Creativity and Context
• Live Now: In-The-Moment Inspiration
• Inspiration: Art Forms Increasing Culture
• Entrepreneurial Drive Beyond the Need for Achievement: A Point of Difference Entrepreneurial Drive, Inspiration, and Motivation
• Inspiration Prompts, Motivation Drives Professionalism
• Goals Questions
• Motivation Research Ideas
• Personality Development Ideas
• Optimism Essay Topics
• Personal Ethics Titles
• Music Therapy Ideas
• Human Development Research Ideas
• Leadership Essay Ideas
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IvyPanda. (2023, September 26). 73 Inspiration Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/inspiration-essay-topics/

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Bibliography

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Essay on Inspiration

Students are often asked to write an essay on Inspiration in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Inspiration

What is inspiration.

Inspiration is a powerful feeling that motivates us to take action. It can come from various sources like people, nature, books, or even a simple thought.

Importance of Inspiration

Inspiration is important as it drives us to achieve our goals. It encourages creativity, boosts confidence, and helps in overcoming challenges.

Sources of Inspiration

Inspiration can be found everywhere. It could be a successful person, a beautiful sunset, an interesting book, or even a small act of kindness.

In conclusion, inspiration is a driving force that helps us to strive for success and make our dreams come true.

250 Words Essay on Inspiration

The essence of inspiration.

Inspiration, an intangible yet profoundly impactful force, has the power to awaken our minds and stimulate creativity. It is the catalyst that drives us towards the realization of our dreams and aspirations.

The Sources of Inspiration

Inspiration can be derived from a multitude of sources. It may emanate from a powerful speech, an awe-inspiring piece of art, or even from the silent beauty of nature. Personal experiences, both triumphant and tragic, can also serve as profound sources of inspiration.

The Role of Inspiration in Personal Growth

Inspiration is instrumental in personal growth. It fuels our passion, motivates us to strive for excellence, and encourages us to challenge our limits. It helps us to perceive things from a fresh perspective, fostering innovation and originality.

Inspiration and Society

On a societal level, inspiration has the potential to instigate change. It can influence individuals to work towards the betterment of society, thereby fostering a culture of altruism and empathy.

To conclude, inspiration is not just an emotional response; it is a driving force that can lead us to achieve the unimaginable. It is a catalyst for creativity, a tool for personal growth, and a vehicle for societal change. Hence, it is essential to remain open to inspiration from all sources and harness its power to enrich our lives and the world around us.

500 Words Essay on Inspiration

Introduction to inspiration.

Inspiration is a complex yet fascinating phenomenon that plays a crucial role in human creativity and innovation. It is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. This invisible force is the catalyst that propels individuals to transcend ordinary experiences and limitations, leading to the realization of unique, inventive, and sometimes revolutionary ideas.

The Source of Inspiration

Inspiration is not a one-size-fits-all concept; it is highly individualistic and can be derived from a multitude of sources. For some, it could be the beauty of nature, while for others, it might be a profound piece of literature, an awe-inspiring piece of art, or even a personal life event. It can also be found in the resilience of those who overcome adversity or the achievements of those who push the boundaries of what is considered possible.

Psychology of Inspiration

From a psychological perspective, inspiration involves two main processes: being inspired by and being inspired to. ‘Being inspired by’ refers to the encounter with an external trigger (be it a person, idea, or event) that instigates a sense of possibility and admiration. ‘Being inspired to’ is the motivational component of inspiration that propels the individual to transform the inspired thought into action.

Inspiration and Creativity

Inspiration is intrinsically linked with creativity. It is the spark that ignites the creative process, leading to the generation of novel and valuable ideas. It is a conduit through which we can access our deepest resources of creativity and problem-solving abilities. The more open we are to inspiration, the more creative we become.

Inspiration in Everyday Life

Inspiration is not confined to grand projects or groundbreaking ideas; it is also present in everyday life. It can be found in small, seemingly insignificant moments that bring joy, provoke thought, or incite change. It can be a catalyst for personal growth, a source of strength during challenging times, and a beacon of hope for a better future.

In conclusion, inspiration is a powerful force that fuels creativity, innovation, and personal growth. It is a transformative process that begins with an external stimulus and culminates in the creation of something new and meaningful. By remaining open to inspiration in all its forms, we can harness this powerful force to enrich our lives, contribute to our communities, and help shape a better world.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Industrialization
• Essay on Industrial Safety
• Essay on Industrial Design

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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My Book My Inspiration Essay in English: Long and Short Paragraphs

My book my inspiration essay in english : check here sample essays, tips and quotes to write an engaging essay on my book my inspiration in english in 150 words, 500 words..

How to Write Essay on My Book My Inspiration in English

Step 1: Think of the book that you would like to write upon.

Step 2: Jot down the name of the book, the author’s name, the major themes covered, the main characters.

Step 3: Introduce the book and its author and the reason why you like it.

Step 4: Elaborate upon the characters, the background and plot of the book, the themes covered in the book.

Step 5: Conclude by summarising it all.

Quotes About Books in English

• "There is no friend as loyal as a book." - Ernest Hemingway
• "A room without books is like a body without a soul." - Marcus Tullius Cicero
• "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss
• "I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." - Jorge Luis Borges
• "So many books, so little time." - Frank Zappa
• "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin
• "Books are a uniquely portable magic." - Stephen King
• "Books are the mirrors of the soul." - Virginia Woolf
• "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." - C.S. Lewis
• "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." - Joseph Addison

My Book My Inspiration Essay 150 Words

Books, with their extraordinary power to inspire, ignite our imaginations, and shape our perceptions. Books have always been my source of inspiration because they have the power to transform lives in profound ways.

Ever since I was a young kid, I loved to read because it transported me to distant lands and introduced me to unique characters. These literary adventures ignited my creativity and instilled a deep appreciation for the beauty of language. I also developed emotional appreciation for different cultures and languages, transcending cultural boundaries.

Books are my best friends. Books have provided me solace in challenging times. As I grew up, my passion for diverse genres of literature deepened. Each book that I have read, has broadened my understanding

My Book My Inspiration Essay 500 words

Books have always been an integral part of my life, serving as portals to new worlds and inspiration for personal growth. Among the countless books I have read in the past few years, one book stands out as a profound source of enduring wisdom and motivation. The book that holds a special place in my heart is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. From the moment I turned its first few pages, I was spellbound by the narrative  and the wisdom embedded in the book. It has profoundly shaped my worldview and inspired me to strive for a more just and compassionate society.

From the moment I first opened its pages, "To Kill a Mockingbird" captivated me with the way it has maintained its captivating storytelling while exploring complex themes such as racial injustice, moral courage, and the power of empathy. At the heart of the story lies the unforgettable and most remarkable character of Atticus Finch, a lawyer who defends an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, against a charge of rape in the deeply segregated Alabama community. Through Atticus's unwavering commitment to justice and his unwavering belief in the inherent goodness of humanity, I was inspired to confront my own biases and to stand up for what is right, even in the face of adversity.

One of the most profound lessons I learned from "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the importance of empathy and understanding. Through the eyes of the character Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in the turbulent 1930s, I gained a deeper appreciation for the challenges faced by marginalised communities and the need to bridge the divides that separate us. Scout's innocence and her willingness to challenge societal norms taught me to question preconceived notions and to seek out the truth, even if it is uncomfortable or inconvenient.

The book's enduring message of hope and resilience has also been a source of inspiration in my own life. Atticus's unwavering belief in the power of education and his determination to instil in his children a sense of justice and compassion have resonated deeply with me. His unwavering commitment to his principles, even in the face of overwhelming opposition, has served as a guiding light for me in my own pursuit of personal integrity and social justice.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has been more than just a book to me. To me, it is a testament to the power of literature to inspire, challenge, and transform. It has shaped my understanding of the world, ignited my passion for social justice, and instilled in me the courage to stand up for what I believe in. As I will move ahead in life, navigating the complexities of daily chores, personal and professional life, I know that the lessons I learned from Atticus Finch and the unique characters of "To Kill a Mockingbird" will continue to guide me, reminding me to always strive for a better world.

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Eight brilliant student essays on what matters most in life.

Read winning essays from our spring 2019 student writing contest.

For the spring 2019 student writing contest, we invited students to read the YES! article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill. Like the author, students interviewed someone significantly older than them about the three things that matter most in life. Students then wrote about what they learned, and about how their interviewees’ answers compare to their own top priorities.

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these eight were chosen as winners. Be sure to read the author’s response to the essay winners and the literary gems that caught our eye. Plus, we share an essay from teacher Charles Sanderson, who also responded to the writing prompt.

Middle School Winner: Rory Leyva

High School Winner:  Praethong Klomsum

University Winner:  Emily Greenbaum

Powerful Voice Winner: Amanda Schwaben

Powerful Voice Winner: Antonia Mills

Powerful Voice Winner:  Isaac Ziemba

Powerful Voice Winner: Lily Hersch

“Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner: Jonas Buckner

From the Author: Response to Student Winners

Literary Gems

From A Teacher: Charles Sanderson

From the Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Middle School Winner

Village Home Education Resource Center, Portland, Ore.

The Lessons Of Mortality 

“As I’ve aged, things that are more personal to me have become somewhat less important. Perhaps I’ve become less self-centered with the awareness of mortality, how short one person’s life is.” This is how my 72-year-old grandma believes her values have changed over the course of her life. Even though I am only 12 years old, I know my life won’t last forever, and someday I, too, will reflect on my past decisions. We were all born to exist and eventually die, so we have evolved to value things in the context of mortality.

One of the ways I feel most alive is when I play roller derby. I started playing for the Rose City Rollers Juniors two years ago, and this year, I made the Rosebud All-Stars travel team. Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport. The physicality and intense training make me feel in control of and present in my body.

My roller derby team is like a second family to me. Adolescence is complicated. We understand each other in ways no one else can. I love my friends more than I love almost anything else. My family would have been higher on my list a few years ago, but as I’ve aged it has been important to make my own social connections.

Music led me to roller derby.  I started out jam skating at the roller rink. Jam skating is all about feeling the music. It integrates gymnastics, breakdancing, figure skating, and modern dance with R & B and hip hop music. When I was younger, I once lay down in the DJ booth at the roller rink and was lulled to sleep by the drawl of wheels rolling in rhythm and people talking about the things they came there to escape. Sometimes, I go up on the roof of my house at night to listen to music and feel the wind rustle my hair. These unique sensations make me feel safe like nothing else ever has.

My grandma tells me, “Being close with family and friends is the most important thing because I haven’t

always had that.” When my grandma was two years old, her father died. Her mother became depressed and moved around a lot, which made it hard for my grandma to make friends. Once my grandma went to college, she made lots of friends. She met my grandfather, Joaquin Leyva when she was working as a park ranger and he was a surfer. They bought two acres of land on the edge of a redwood forest and had a son and a daughter. My grandma created a stable family that was missing throughout her early life.

My grandma is motivated to maintain good health so she can be there for her family. I can relate because I have to be fit and strong for my team. Since she lost my grandfather to cancer, she realizes how lucky she is to have a functional body and no life-threatening illnesses. My grandma tries to eat well and exercise, but she still struggles with depression. Over time, she has learned that reaching out to others is essential to her emotional wellbeing.  

Caring for the earth is also a priority for my grandma I’ve been lucky to learn from my grandma. She’s taught me how to hunt for fossils in the desert and find shells on the beach. Although my grandma grew up with no access to the wilderness, she admired the green open areas of urban cemeteries. In college, she studied geology and hiked in the High Sierras. For years, she’s been an advocate for conserving wildlife habitat and open spaces.

Our priorities may seem different, but it all comes down to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and need to be loved. Like Nancy Hill says in the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” it can be hard to decipher what is important in life. I believe that the constant search for satisfaction and meaning is the only thing everyone has in common. We all want to know what matters, and we walk around this confusing world trying to find it. The lessons I’ve learned from my grandma about forging connections, caring for my body, and getting out in the world inspire me to live my life my way before it’s gone.

Rory Leyva is a seventh-grader from Portland, Oregon. Rory skates for the Rosebuds All-Stars roller derby team. She loves listening to music and hanging out with her friends.

High School Winner

Praethong Klomsum

  Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

Time Only Moves Forward

Sandra Hernandez gazed at the tiny house while her mother’s gentle hands caressed her shoulders. It wasn’t much, especially for a family of five. This was 1960, she was 17, and her family had just moved to Culver City.

Flash forward to 2019. Sandra sits in a rocking chair, knitting a blanket for her latest grandchild, in the same living room. Sandra remembers working hard to feed her eight children. She took many different jobs before settling behind the cash register at a Japanese restaurant called Magos. “It was a struggle, and my husband Augustine, was planning to join the military at that time, too.”

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author Nancy Hill states that one of the most important things is “…connecting with others in general, but in particular with those who have lived long lives.” Sandra feels similarly. It’s been hard for Sandra to keep in contact with her family, which leaves her downhearted some days. “It’s important to maintain that connection you have with your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

Despite her age, Sandra is a daring woman. Taking risks is important to her, and she’ll try anything—from skydiving to hiking. Sandra has some regrets from the past, but nowadays, she doesn’t wonder about the “would have, could have, should haves.” She just goes for it with a smile.

Sandra thought harder about her last important thing, the blue and green blanket now finished and covering

her lap. “I’ve definitely lived a longer life than most, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I hope I can see the day my great-grandchildren are born.” She’s laughing, but her eyes look beyond what’s in front of her. Maybe she is reminiscing about the day she held her son for the first time or thinking of her grandchildren becoming parents. I thank her for her time and she waves it off, offering me a styrofoam cup of lemonade before I head for the bus station.

The bus is sparsely filled. A voice in my head reminds me to finish my 10-page history research paper before spring break. I take a window seat and pull out my phone and earbuds. My playlist is already on shuffle, and I push away thoughts of that dreaded paper. Music has been a constant in my life—from singing my lungs out in kindergarten to Barbie’s “I Need To Know,” to jamming out to Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” in sixth grade, to BTS’s “Intro: Never Mind” comforting me when I’m at my lowest. Music is my magic shop, a place where I can trade away my fears for calm.

I’ve always been afraid of doing something wrong—not finishing my homework or getting a C when I can do better. When I was 8, I wanted to be like the big kids. As I got older, I realized that I had exchanged my childhood longing for the 48 pack of crayons for bigger problems, balancing grades, a social life, and mental stability—all at once. I’m going to get older whether I like it or not, so there’s no point forcing myself to grow up faster.  I’m learning to live in the moment.

The bus is approaching my apartment, where I know my comfy bed and a home-cooked meal from my mom are waiting. My mom is hard-working, confident, and very stubborn. I admire her strength of character. She always keeps me in line, even through my rebellious phases.

My best friend sends me a text—an update on how broken her laptop is. She is annoying. She says the stupidest things and loves to state the obvious. Despite this, she never fails to make me laugh until my cheeks feel numb. The rest of my friends are like that too—loud, talkative, and always brightening my day. Even friends I stopped talking to have a place in my heart. Recently, I’ve tried to reconnect with some of them. This interview was possible because a close friend from sixth grade offered to introduce me to Sandra, her grandmother.  

I’m decades younger than Sandra, so my view of what’s important isn’t as broad as hers, but we share similar values, with friends and family at the top. I have a feeling that when Sandra was my age, she used to love music, too. Maybe in a few decades, when I’m sitting in my rocking chair, drawing in my sketchbook, I’ll remember this article and think back fondly to the days when life was simple.

Praethong Klomsum is a tenth-grader at Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California.  Praethong has a strange affinity for rhyme games and is involved in her school’s dance team. She enjoys drawing and writing, hoping to impact people willing to listen to her thoughts and ideas.

University Winner

Emily Greenbaum

Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 

The Life-Long War

Every morning we open our eyes, ready for a new day. Some immediately turn to their phones and social media. Others work out or do yoga. For a certain person, a deep breath and the morning sun ground him. He hears the clink-clank of his wife cooking low sodium meat for breakfast—doctor’s orders! He sees that the other side of the bed is already made, the dogs are no longer in the room, and his clothes are set out nicely on the loveseat.

Today, though, this man wakes up to something different: faded cream walls and jello. This person, my hero, is Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James.

I pulled up my chair close to Roger’s vinyl recliner so I could hear him above the noise of the beeping dialysis machine. I noticed Roger would occasionally glance at his wife Susan with sparkly eyes when he would recall memories of the war or their grandkids. He looked at Susan like she walked on water.

Roger James served his country for thirty years. Now, he has enlisted in another type of war. He suffers from a rare blood cancer—the result of the wars he fought in. Roger has good and bad days. He says, “The good outweighs the bad, so I have to be grateful for what I have on those good days.”

When Roger retired, he never thought the effects of the war would reach him. The once shallow wrinkles upon his face become deeper, as he tells me, “It’s just cancer. Others are suffering from far worse. I know I’ll make it.”

Like Nancy Hill did in her article “Three Things that Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I asked Roger, “What are the three most important things to you?” James answered, “My wife Susan, my grandkids, and church.”

Roger and Susan served together in the Vietnam war. She was a nurse who treated his cuts and scrapes one day. I asked Roger why he chose Susan. He said, “Susan told me to look at her while she cleaned me up. ‘This may sting, but don’t be a baby.’ When I looked into her eyes, I felt like she was looking into my soul, and I didn’t want her to leave. She gave me this sense of home. Every day I wake up, she makes me feel the same way, and I fall in love with her all over again.”

Roger and Susan have two kids and four grandkids, with great-grandchildren on the way. He claims that his grandkids give him the youth that he feels slowly escaping from his body. This adoring grandfather is energized by coaching t-ball and playing evening card games with the grandkids.

The last thing on his list was church. His oldest daughter married a pastor. Together they founded a church. Roger said that the connection between his faith and family is important to him because it gave him a reason to want to live again. I learned from Roger that when you’re across the ocean, you tend to lose sight of why you are fighting. When Roger returned, he didn’t have the will to live. Most days were a struggle, adapting back into a society that lacked empathy for the injuries, pain, and psychological trauma carried by returning soldiers. Church changed that for Roger and gave him a sense of purpose.

When I began this project, my attitude was to just get the assignment done. I never thought I could view Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James as more than a role model, but he definitely changed my mind. It’s as if Roger magically lit a fire inside of me and showed me where one’s true passions should lie. I see our similarities and embrace our differences. We both value family and our own connections to home—his home being church and mine being where I can breathe the easiest.

Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me and that every once in a while, I should step back and stop to smell the roses. As we concluded the interview, amidst squeaky clogs and the stale smell of bleach and bedpans, I looked to Roger, his kind, tired eyes, and weathered skin, with a deeper sense of admiration, knowing that his values still run true, no matter what he faces.

Emily Greenbaum is a senior at Kent State University, graduating with a major in Conflict Management and minor in Geography. Emily hopes to use her major to facilitate better conversations, while she works in the Washington, D.C. area.  

Powerful Voice Winner

Amanda Schwaben

Wise Words From Winnie the Pooh

As I read through Nancy Hill’s article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I was comforted by the similar responses given by both children and older adults. The emphasis participants placed on family, social connections, and love was not only heartwarming but hopeful. While the messages in the article filled me with warmth, I felt a twinge of guilt building within me. As a twenty-one-year-old college student weeks from graduation, I honestly don’t think much about the most important things in life. But if I was asked, I would most likely say family, friendship, and love. As much as I hate to admit it, I often find myself obsessing over achieving a successful career and finding a way to “save the world.”

A few weeks ago, I was at my family home watching the new Winnie the Pooh movie Christopher Robin with my mom and younger sister. Well, I wasn’t really watching. I had my laptop in front of me, and I was aggressively typing up an assignment. Halfway through the movie, I realized I left my laptop charger in my car. I walked outside into the brisk March air. Instinctively, I looked up. The sky was perfectly clear, revealing a beautiful array of stars. When my twin sister and I were in high school, we would always take a moment to look up at the sparkling night sky before we came into the house after soccer practice.

I think that was the last time I stood in my driveway and gazed at the stars. I did not get the laptop charger from

my car; instead, I turned around and went back inside. I shut my laptop and watched the rest of the movie. My twin sister loves Winnie the Pooh. So much so that my parents got her a stuffed animal version of him for Christmas. While I thought he was adorable and a token of my childhood, I did not really understand her obsession. However, it was clear to me after watching the movie. Winnie the Pooh certainly had it figured out. He believed that the simple things in life were the most important: love, friendship, and having fun.

I thought about asking my mom right then what the three most important things were to her, but I decided not to. I just wanted to be in the moment. I didn’t want to be doing homework. It was a beautiful thing to just sit there and be present with my mom and sister.

I did ask her, though, a couple of weeks later. Her response was simple.  All she said was family, health, and happiness. When she told me this, I imagined Winnie the Pooh smiling. I think he would be proud of that answer.

I was not surprised by my mom’s reply. It suited her perfectly. I wonder if we relearn what is most important when we grow older—that the pressure to be successful subsides. Could it be that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world?

Amanda Schwaben is a graduating senior from Kent State University with a major in Applied Conflict Management. Amanda also has minors in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. She hopes to further her education and focus on how museums not only preserve history but also promote peace.

Antonia Mills

Rachel Carson High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Decoding The Butterfly

For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must first digest itself. The caterpillar, overwhelmed by accumulating tissue, splits its skin open to form its protective shell, the chrysalis, and later becomes the pretty butterfly we all know and love. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies, and just as every species is different, so is the life of every butterfly. No matter how long and hard a caterpillar has strived to become the colorful and vibrant butterfly that we marvel at on a warm spring day, it does not live a long life. A butterfly can live for a year, six months, two weeks, and even as little as twenty-four hours.

I have often wondered if butterflies live long enough to be blissful of blue skies. Do they take time to feast upon the sweet nectar they crave, midst their hustling life of pollinating pretty flowers? Do they ever take a lull in their itineraries, or are they always rushing towards completing their four-stage metamorphosis? Has anyone asked the butterfly, “Who are you?” instead of “What are you”? Or, How did you get here, on my windowsill?  How did you become ‘you’?

Humans are similar to butterflies. As a caterpillar

Suzanna Ruby/Getty Images

becomes a butterfly, a baby becomes an elder. As a butterfly soars through summer skies, an elder watches summer skies turn into cold winter nights and back toward summer skies yet again.  And as a butterfly flits slowly by the porch light, a passerby makes assumptions about the wrinkled, slow-moving elder, who is sturdier than he appears. These creatures are not seen for who they are—who they were—because people have “better things to do” or they are too busy to ask, “How are you”?

Our world can be a lonely place. Pressured by expectations, haunted by dreams, overpowered by weakness, and drowned out by lofty goals, we tend to forget ourselves—and others. Rather than hang onto the strands of our diminishing sanity, we might benefit from listening to our elders. Many elders have experienced setbacks in their young lives. Overcoming hardship and surviving to old age is wisdom that they carry.  We can learn from them—and can even make their day by taking the time to hear their stories.  

Nancy Hill, who wrote the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” was right: “We live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” I know a lot about my grandmother’s life, and it isn’t as serene as my own. My grandmother, Liza, who cooks every day, bakes bread on holidays for our neighbors, brings gifts to her doctor out of the kindness of her heart, and makes conversation with neighbors even though she is isn’t fluent in English—Russian is her first language—has struggled all her life. Her mother, Anna, a single parent, had tuberculosis, and even though she had an inviolable spirit, she was too frail to care for four children. She passed away when my grandmother was sixteen, so my grandmother and her siblings spent most of their childhood in an orphanage. My grandmother got married at nineteen to my grandfather, Pinhas. He was a man who loved her more than he loved himself and was a godsend to every person he met. Liza was—and still is—always quick to do what was best for others, even if that person treated her poorly. My grandmother has lived with physical pain all her life, yet she pushed herself to climb heights that she wasn’t ready for. Against all odds, she has lived to tell her story to people who are willing to listen. And I always am.

I asked my grandmother, “What are three things most important to you?” Her answer was one that I already expected: One, for everyone to live long healthy lives. Two, for you to graduate from college. Three, for you to always remember that I love you.

What may be basic to you means the world to my grandmother. She just wants what she never had the chance to experience: a healthy life, an education, and the chance to express love to the people she values. The three things that matter most to her may be so simple and ordinary to outsiders, but to her, it is so much more. And who could take that away?

Antonia Mills was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and attends Rachel Carson High School.  Antonia enjoys creative activities, including writing, painting, reading, and baking. She hopes to pursue culinary arts professionally in the future. One of her favorite quotes is, “When you start seeing your worth, you’ll find it harder to stay around people who don’t.” -Emily S.P.  

  Powerful Voice Winner

   Isaac Ziemba

Odyssey Multiage Program, Bainbridge Island, Wash. 

This Former State Trooper Has His Priorities Straight: Family, Climate Change, and Integrity

I have a personal connection to people who served in the military and first responders. My uncle is a first responder on the island I live on, and my dad retired from the Navy. That was what made a man named Glen Tyrell, a state trooper for 25 years, 2 months and 9 days, my first choice to interview about what three things matter in life. In the YES! Magazine article “The Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I learned that old and young people have a great deal in common. I know that’s true because Glen and I care about a lot of the same things.

For Glen, family is at the top of his list of important things. “My wife was, and is, always there for me. My daughters mean the world to me, too, but Penny is my partner,” Glen said. I can understand why Glen’s wife is so important to him. She’s family. Family will always be there for you.

Glen loves his family, and so do I with all my heart. My dad especially means the world to me. He is my top supporter and tells me that if I need help, just “say the word.” When we are fishing or crabbing, sometimes I

think, what if these times were erased from my memory? I wouldn’t be able to describe the horrible feeling that would rush through my mind, and I’m sure that Glen would feel the same about his wife.

My uncle once told me that the world is always going to change over time. It’s what the world has turned out to be that worries me. Both Glen and I are extremely concerned about climate change and the effect that rising temperatures have on animals and their habitats. We’re driving them to extinction. Some people might say, “So what? Animals don’t pay taxes or do any of the things we do.” What we are doing to them is like the Black Death times 100.

Glen is also frustrated by how much plastic we use and where it ends up. He would be shocked that an explorer recently dived to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean—seven miles!— and discovered a plastic bag and candy wrappers. Glen told me that, unfortunately, his generation did the damage and my generation is here to fix it. We need to take better care of Earth because if we don’t, we, as a species, will have failed.

Both Glen and I care deeply for our families and the earth, but for our third important value, I chose education and Glen chose integrity. My education is super important to me because without it, I would be a blank slate. I wouldn’t know how to figure out problems. I wouldn’t be able to tell right from wrong. I wouldn’t understand the Bill of Rights. I would be stuck. Everyone should be able to go to school, no matter where they’re from or who they are.  It makes me angry and sad to think that some people, especially girls, get shot because they are trying to go to school. I understand how lucky I am.

Integrity is sacred to Glen—I could tell by the serious tone of Glen’s voice when he told me that integrity was the code he lived by as a former state trooper. He knew that he had the power to change a person’s life, and he was committed to not abusing that power.  When Glen put someone under arrest—and my uncle says the same—his judgment and integrity were paramount. “Either you’re right or you’re wrong.” You can’t judge a person by what you think, you can only judge a person from what you know.”

I learned many things about Glen and what’s important in life, but there is one thing that stands out—something Glen always does and does well. Glen helps people. He did it as a state trooper, and he does it in our school, where he works on construction projects. Glen told me that he believes that our most powerful tools are writing and listening to others. I think those tools are important, too, but I also believe there are other tools to help solve many of our problems and create a better future: to be compassionate, to create caring relationships, and to help others. Just like Glen Tyrell does each and every day.

Isaac Ziemba is in seventh grade at the Odyssey Multiage Program on a small island called Bainbridge near Seattle, Washington. Isaac’s favorite subject in school is history because he has always been interested in how the past affects the future. In his spare time, you can find Isaac hunting for crab with his Dad, looking for artifacts around his house with his metal detector, and having fun with his younger cousin, Conner.     

Lily Hersch

 The Crest Academy, Salida, Colo.

The Phone Call

Dear Grandpa,

In my short span of life—12 years so far—you’ve taught me a lot of important life lessons that I’ll always have with me. Some of the values I talk about in this writing I’ve learned from you.

Dedicated to my Gramps.

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author and photographer Nancy Hill asked people to name the three things that mattered most to them. After reading the essay prompt for the article, I immediately knew who I wanted to interview: my grandpa Gil.      

My grandpa was born on January 25, 1942. He lived in a minuscule tenement in The Bronx with his mother,

father, and brother. His father wasn’t around much, and, when he was, he was reticent and would snap occasionally, revealing his constrained mental pain. My grandpa says this happened because my great grandfather did not have a father figure in his life. His mother was a classy, sharp lady who was the head secretary at a local police district station. My grandpa and his brother Larry did not care for each other. Gramps said he was very close to his mother, and Larry wasn’t. Perhaps Larry was envious for what he didn’t have.

Decades after little to no communication with his brother, my grandpa decided to spontaneously visit him in Florida, where he resided with his wife. Larry was taken aback at the sudden reappearance of his brother and told him to leave. Since then, the two brothers have not been in contact. My grandpa doesn’t even know if Larry is alive.         

My grandpa is now a retired lawyer, married to my wonderful grandma, and living in a pretty house with an ugly dog named BoBo.

So, what’s important to you, Gramps?

He paused a second, then replied, “Family, kindness, and empathy.”

“Family, because it’s my family. It’s important to stay connected with your family. My brother, father, and I never connected in the way I wished, and sometimes I contemplated what could’ve happened.  But you can’t change the past. So, that’s why family’s important to me.”

Family will always be on my “Top Three Most Important Things” list, too. I can’t imagine not having my older brother, Zeke, or my grandma in my life. I wonder how other kids feel about their families? How do kids trapped and separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border feel?  What about orphans? Too many questions, too few answers.

“Kindness, because growing up and not seeing a lot of kindness made me realize how important it is to have that in the world. Kindness makes the world go round.”

What is kindness? Helping my brother, Eli, who has Down syndrome, get ready in the morning? Telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear? Maybe, for now, I’ll put wisdom, not kindness, on my list.

“Empathy, because of all the killings and shootings [in this country.] We also need to care for people—people who are not living in as good circumstances as I have. Donald Trump and other people I’ve met have no empathy. Empathy is very important.”

Empathy is something I’ve felt my whole life. It’ll always be important to me like it is important to my grandpa. My grandpa shows his empathy when he works with disabled children. Once he took a disabled child to a Christina Aguilera concert because that child was too young to go by himself. The moments I feel the most empathy are when Eli gets those looks from people. Seeing Eli wonder why people stare at him like he’s a freak makes me sad, and annoyed that they have the audacity to stare.

After this 2 minute and 36-second phone call, my grandpa has helped me define what’s most important to me at this time in my life: family, wisdom, and empathy. Although these things are important now, I realize they can change and most likely will.

When I’m an old woman, I envision myself scrambling through a stack of storage boxes and finding this paper. Perhaps after reading words from my 12-year-old self, I’ll ask myself “What’s important to me?”

Lily Hersch is a sixth-grader at Crest Academy in Salida, Colorado. Lily is an avid indoorsman, finding joy in competitive spelling, art, and of course, writing. She does not like Swiss cheese.

  “Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner

Jonas Buckner

KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory, Gaston, N.C.

Lessons My Nana Taught Me

I walked into the house. In the other room, I heard my cousin screaming at his game. There were a lot of Pioneer Woman dishes everywhere. The room had the television on max volume. The fan in the other room was on. I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to learn something powerful.

I was in my Nana’s house, and when I walked in, she said, “Hey Monkey Butt.”

I said, “Hey Nana.”

Before the interview, I was talking to her about what I was gonna interview her on. Also, I had asked her why I might have wanted to interview her, and she responded with, “Because you love me, and I love you too.”

Now, it was time to start the interview. The first

question I asked was the main and most important question ever: “What three things matter most to you and you only?”

She thought of it very thoughtfully and responded with, “My grandchildren, my children, and my health.”

Then, I said, “OK, can you please tell me more about your health?”

She responded with, “My health is bad right now. I have heart problems, blood sugar, and that’s about it.” When she said it, she looked at me and smiled because she loved me and was happy I chose her to interview.

I replied with, “K um, why is it important to you?”

She smiled and said, “Why is it…Why is my health important? Well, because I want to live a long time and see my grandchildren grow up.”

I was scared when she said that, but she still smiled. I was so happy, and then I said, “Has your health always been important to you.”

She responded with “Nah.”

Then, I asked, “Do you happen to have a story to help me understand your reasoning?”

She said, “No, not really.”

Now we were getting into the next set of questions. I said, “Remember how you said that your grandchildren matter to you? Can you please tell me why they matter to you?”

Then, she responded with, “So I can spend time with them, play with them, and everything.”

Next, I asked the same question I did before: “Have you always loved your grandchildren?” 

She responded with, “Yes, they have always been important to me.”

Then, the next two questions I asked she had no response to at all. She was very happy until I asked, “Why do your children matter most to you?”

She had a frown on and responded, “My daughter Tammy died a long time ago.”

Then, at this point, the other questions were answered the same as the other ones. When I left to go home I was thinking about how her answers were similar to mine. She said health, and I care about my health a lot, and I didn’t say, but I wanted to. She also didn’t have answers for the last two questions on each thing, and I was like that too.

The lesson I learned was that no matter what, always keep pushing because even though my aunt or my Nana’s daughter died, she kept on pushing and loving everyone. I also learned that everything should matter to us. Once again, I chose to interview my Nana because she matters to me, and I know when she was younger she had a lot of things happen to her, so I wanted to know what she would say. The point I’m trying to make is that be grateful for what you have and what you have done in life.

Jonas Buckner is a sixth-grader at KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory in Gaston, North Carolina. Jonas’ favorite activities are drawing, writing, math, piano, and playing AltSpace VR. He found his passion for writing in fourth grade when he wrote a quick autobiography. Jonas hopes to become a horror writer someday.

From The Author: Responses to Student Winners

Dear Emily, Isaac, Antonia, Rory, Praethong, Amanda, Lily, and Jonas,

Your thought-provoking essays sent my head spinning. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the depth of thought, beauty of expression, and originality. It left me wondering just how to capture all of my reactions in a single letter. After multiple false starts, I’ve landed on this: I will stick to the theme of three most important things.

The three things I found most inspirational about your essays:

You listened.

You connected.

We live in troubled times. Tensions mount between countries, cultures, genders, religious beliefs, and generations. If we fail to find a way to understand each other, to see similarities between us, the future will be fraught with increased hostility.

You all took critical steps toward connecting with someone who might not value the same things you do by asking a person who is generations older than you what matters to them. Then, you listened to their answers. You saw connections between what is important to them and what is important to you. Many of you noted similarities, others wondered if your own list of the three most important things would change as you go through life. You all saw the validity of the responses you received and looked for reasons why your interviewees have come to value what they have.

It is through these things—asking, listening, and connecting—that we can begin to bridge the differences in experiences and beliefs that are currently dividing us.

Individual observations

Each one of you made observations that all of us, regardless of age or experience, would do well to keep in mind. I chose one quote from each person and trust those reading your essays will discover more valuable insights.

“Our priorities may seem different, but they come back to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and work to make a positive impact.” 

“You can’t judge a person by what you think , you can only judge a person by what you know .”

Emily (referencing your interviewee, who is battling cancer):

“Master Chief Petty Officer James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me.”

Lily (quoting your grandfather):

“Kindness makes the world go round.”

“Everything should matter to us.”

Praethong (quoting your interviewee, Sandra, on the importance of family):

“It’s important to always maintain that connection you have with each other, your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

“I wonder if maybe we relearn what is most important when we grow older. That the pressure to be successful subsides and that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world.”

“Listen to what others have to say. Listen to the people who have already experienced hardship. You will learn from them and you can even make their day by giving them a chance to voice their thoughts.”

I end this letter to you with the hope that you never stop asking others what is most important to them and that you to continue to take time to reflect on what matters most to you…and why. May you never stop asking, listening, and connecting with others, especially those who may seem to be unlike you. Keep writing, and keep sharing your thoughts and observations with others, for your ideas are awe-inspiring.

I also want to thank the more than 1,000 students who submitted essays. Together, by sharing what’s important to us with others, especially those who may believe or act differently, we can fill the world with joy, peace, beauty, and love.

We received many outstanding essays for the Winter 2019 Student Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye:

Whether it is a painting on a milky canvas with watercolors or pasting photos onto a scrapbook with her granddaughters, it is always a piece of artwork to her. She values the things in life that keep her in the moment, while still exploring things she may not have initially thought would bring her joy.

—Ondine Grant-Krasno, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif.

“Ganas”… It means “desire” in Spanish. My ganas is fueled by my family’s belief in me. I cannot and will not fail them. 

—Adan Rios, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I hope when I grow up I can have the love for my kids like my grandma has for her kids. She makes being a mother even more of a beautiful thing than it already is.

—Ashley Shaw, Columbus City Prep School for Girls, Grove City, Ohio

You become a collage of little pieces of your friends and family. They also encourage you to be the best you can be. They lift you up onto the seat of your bike, they give you the first push, and they don’t hesitate to remind you that everything will be alright when you fall off and scrape your knee.

— Cecilia Stanton, Bellafonte Area Middle School, Bellafonte, Pa.

Without good friends, I wouldn’t know what I would do to endure the brutal machine of public education.

—Kenneth Jenkins, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.

My dog, as ridiculous as it may seem, is a beautiful example of what we all should aspire to be. We should live in the moment, not stress, and make it our goal to lift someone’s spirits, even just a little.

—Kate Garland, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif. 

I strongly hope that every child can spare more time to accompany their elderly parents when they are struggling, and moving forward, and give them more care and patience. so as to truly achieve the goal of “you accompany me to grow up, and I will accompany you to grow old.”

—Taiyi Li, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I have three cats, and they are my brothers and sisters. We share a special bond that I think would not be possible if they were human. Since they do not speak English, we have to find other ways to connect, and I think that those other ways can be more powerful than language.

—Maya Dombroskie, Delta Program Middle School, Boulsburg, Pa.

We are made to love and be loved. To have joy and be relational. As a member of the loneliest generation in possibly all of history, I feel keenly aware of the need for relationships and authentic connection. That is why I decided to talk to my grandmother.

—Luke Steinkamp, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

After interviewing my grandma and writing my paper, I realized that as we grow older, the things that are important to us don’t change, what changes is why those things are important to us.

—Emily Giffer, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

The media works to marginalize elders, often isolating them and their stories, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with their additional years of lived experiences. It also undermines the depth of children’s curiosity and capacity to learn and understand. When the worlds of elders and children collide, a classroom opens.

—Cristina Reitano, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.

My values, although similar to my dad, only looked the same in the sense that a shadow is similar to the object it was cast on.

—Timofey Lisenskiy, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

I can release my anger through writing without having to take it out on someone. I can escape and be a different person; it feels good not to be myself for a while. I can make up my own characters, so I can be someone different every day, and I think that’s pretty cool.

—Jasua Carillo, Wellness, Business, and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore. 

Notice how all the important things in his life are people: the people who he loves and who love him back. This is because “people are more important than things like money or possessions, and families are treasures,” says grandpa Pat. And I couldn’t agree more.

—Brody Hartley, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.  

Curiosity for other people’s stories could be what is needed to save the world.

—Noah Smith, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Peace to me is a calm lake without a ripple in sight. It’s a starry night with a gentle breeze that pillows upon your face. It’s the absence of arguments, fighting, or war. It’s when egos stop working against each other and finally begin working with each other. Peace is free from fear, anxiety, and depression. To me, peace is an important ingredient in the recipe of life.

—JP Bogan, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

From A Teacher

Charles Sanderson

Wellness, Business and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore. 

The Birthday Gift

I’ve known Jodelle for years, watching her grow from a quiet and timid twelve-year-old to a young woman who just returned from India, where she played Kabaddi, a kind of rugby meets Red Rover.

One of my core beliefs as an educator is to show up for the things that matter to kids, so I go to their games, watch their plays, and eat the strawberry jam they make for the county fair. On this occasion, I met Jodelle at a robotics competition to watch her little sister Abby compete. Think Nerd Paradise: more hats made from traffic cones than Golden State Warrior ball caps, more unicorn capes than Nike swooshes, more fanny packs with Legos than clutches with eyeliner.

We started chatting as the crowd chanted and waved six-foot flags for teams like Mystic Biscuits, Shrek, and everyone’s nemesis The Mean Machine. Apparently, when it’s time for lunch at a robotics competition, they don’t mess around. The once-packed gym was left to Jodelle and me, and we kept talking and talking. I eventually asked her about the three things that matter to her most.

She told me about her mom, her sister, and her addiction—to horses. I’ve read enough of her writing to know that horses were her drug of choice and her mom and sister were her support network.

I learned about her desire to become a teacher and how hours at the barn with her horse, Heart, recharge her when she’s exhausted. At one point, our rambling conversation turned to a topic I’ve known far too well—her father.

Later that evening, I received an email from Jodelle, and she had a lot to say. One line really struck me: “In so many movies, I have seen a dad wanting to protect his daughter from the world, but I’ve only understood the scene cognitively. Yesterday, I felt it.”

Long ago, I decided that I would never be a dad. I had seen movies with fathers and daughters, and for me, those movies might as well have been Star Wars, ET, or Alien—worlds filled with creatures I’d never know. However, over the years, I’ve attended Jodelle’s parent-teacher conferences, gone to her graduation, and driven hours to watch her ride Heart at horse shows. Simply, I showed up. I listened. I supported.

Jodelle shared a series of dad poems, as well. I had read the first two poems in their original form when Jodelle was my student. The revised versions revealed new graphic details of her past. The third poem, however, was something entirely different.

She called the poems my early birthday present. When I read the lines “You are my father figure/Who I look up to/Without being looked down on,” I froze for an instant and had to reread the lines. After fifty years of consciously deciding not to be a dad, I was seen as one—and it felt incredible. Jodelle’s poem and recognition were two of the best presents I’ve ever received.

I  know that I was the language arts teacher that Jodelle needed at the time, but her poem revealed things I never knew I taught her: “My father figure/ Who taught me/ That listening is for observing the world/ That listening is for learning/Not obeying/Writing is for connecting/Healing with others.”

Teaching is often a thankless job, one that frequently brings more stress and anxiety than joy and hope. Stress erodes my patience. Anxiety curtails my ability to enter each interaction with every student with the grace they deserve. However, my time with Jodelle reminds me of the importance of leaning in and listening.

In the article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill, she illuminates how we “live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” For the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege to work with countless of these “remarkable people,” and I’ve done my best to listen, and, in so doing, I hope my students will realize what I’ve known for a long time; their voices matter and deserve to be heard, but the voices of their tias and abuelitos and babushkas are equally important. When we take the time to listen, I believe we do more than affirm the humanity of others; we affirm our own as well.

Charles Sanderson has grounded his nineteen-year teaching career in a philosophy he describes as “Mirror, Window, Bridge.” Charles seeks to ensure all students see themselves, see others, and begin to learn the skills to build bridges of empathy, affinity, and understanding between communities and cultures that may seem vastly different. He proudly teaches at the Wellness, Business and Sports School in Woodburn, Oregon, a school and community that brings him joy and hope on a daily basis.

From   The Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Dear Charles Sanderson,

Thank you for submitting an essay of your own in addition to encouraging your students to participate in YES! Magazine’s essay contest.

Your essay focused not on what is important to you, but rather on what is important to one of your students. You took what mattered to her to heart, acting upon it by going beyond the school day and creating a connection that has helped fill a huge gap in her life. Your efforts will affect her far beyond her years in school. It is clear that your involvement with this student is far from the only time you have gone beyond the classroom, and while you are not seeking personal acknowledgment, I cannot help but applaud you.

In an ideal world, every teacher, every adult, would show the same interest in our children and adolescents that you do. By taking the time to listen to what is important to our youth, we can help them grow into compassionate, caring adults, capable of making our world a better place.

Your concerted efforts to guide our youth to success not only as students but also as human beings is commendable. May others be inspired by your insights, concerns, and actions. You define excellence in teaching.

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18 Of The Most Interesting And Inspiring Essays And Articles Of 2014 You’ll Want To Revisit

• https://thoughtcatalog.com/?p=421935

Soon another year will begin. Another year filled with exciting book releases and new, compelling voices emerging from the different depths of the writing world. I asked my friends, co-workers, and random people on the internet to let me know which articles and essays stood out to them this year. I wanted to know what moved them, inspired them, or compelled them to think about their life, opinions, and relationships. What were the pieces they read that they absolutely had to share with at least one person? So they told me and here I have this list of 18 articles and essays published in 2014 from many incredible writers. Check it out and take a look back at some  thought-provoking moments in writing this year .

1.  My Grandma the Poisoner – John Reed

“You don’t want to believe your grandmother is poisoning you. You know that she loves you—there’s no doubt of that—and she’s so marvelously grandmotherly and charming. And you know that she would never want to poison you. So despite your better judgment, you eat the food until you’ve passed out so many times that you can’t keep doubting yourself.”

2.  A Tale Of Two Hipsters  – Dale Beran

“This essay is an effort to use critical analysis to unravel the term “hipster” into a lattice of ideas that is clear, makes plain sense, and so therefore explains things which before to us seemed hopelessly tangled. Most articles on this topic claim the term is unknowable. This is because the word, like the entire notion of indefinable rhizomic culture movements, is ideology. It is the means by which an outside group has defined, divided, and de-legitimized the radical in our present generation.”

3. Bad Victims – Roxane Gay

“People who have been sexually assaulted know there are good victims and bad victims. Good victims, of course, do not exist but they are an elaborate ideal. They are assaulted in a dark alley by a known criminal who has a knife or a gun. They are modestly dressed. They report their assault immediately to law enforcement and submit, willingly, to a rape exam. They answer all questions about their assault lucidly and completely as many times as is necessary. They are adequately prepared for trial. They don’t pester the prosecutor as he or she prepares for trial. When they testify, they are modestly dressed. They are the girl or boy next door. They deserve justice because they are so righteous in their victimhood.”

4.  Naked, Covered in Ram’s Blood, Drinking a Coke, and Feeling Pretty Good  – Andrew Solomon

“And then when I had finished the Coke, they said, “Okay, now we have the final parts of the ritual. First you have to put your hands by your sides and stand very straight and very erect.” And I said, “Okay,” and then they tied me up with the intestines of the ram. In the meanwhile its body was hanging from a nearby tree, and someone was doing some butchering of it, and they took various little bits of it out. And then I had to kind of shuffle over, all tied up in intestines, which most of you probably haven’t done, but it’s hard.”

5.  I Don’t Want To Be Right  – Maria Konnikova

“Normally, self-affirmation is reserved for instances in which identity is threatened in direct ways: race, gender, age, weight, and the like. Here, Nyhan decided to apply it in an unrelated context: Could recalling a time when you felt good about yourself make you more broad-minded about highly politicized issues, like the Iraq surge or global warming? As it turns out, it would. On all issues, attitudes became more accurate with self-affirmation, and remained just as inaccurate without. That effect held even when no additional information was presented—that is, when people were simply asked the same questions twice, before and after the self-affirmation.”

6.  The Year I Grew Wildly, While Men Looked On – Ashley Ford

“Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around myself. My clothes weren’t small. They were a little tight. That was only because my body kept growing, but only in certain places. I did my best to cover myself, to hide it, to keep looking like someone’s little girl, but I was visibly losing the battle, and had been for some time. It wasn’t just me. We were all changing. I enjoyed watching the other girls in the locker room undress, and I kept track of their growth. But I didn’t want to make them feel like I felt. I didn’t want to make them feel ogled. Did they hate this too?”

7.  Snackwave: A Comprehensive Guide To The Internet’s Saltiest Meme  – Hazel Cills and Gabby Noone

“It’s important to note that snackwave is different from, say, a bunch of girls eating snacks and tweeting about them. Snackwave is defined by exaggeration and extremism. You don’t just eat cheeseburgers. You wear a shirt covered in them. You don’t just eat pizza. You run a blog devoted to collecting pictures of celebrities eating pizza. In a world of Women Laughing Alone With Salad, snackwave is our saviour.”

8.  All My Exes Live in Texts: Why the Social Media Generation Never Really Breaks Up – Maureen O’Connor

“All my exes live online, and so do their exes, and so do their exes, too. I carry the population of a metaphorical Texas in a cell phone on my person at all times. Etiquette can’t keep up with us—not that we would honor it anyway—so ex relationships run on lust and impulse and nosiness and envy alternating with fantasy. It’s a dozen soap operas playing at the same time on a dozen different screens, and you are the star of them all. It’s both as thrilling and as sickening as it sounds.”

9.   “Everything Is Problematic” – My journey into the centre of a dark political world, and how I escaped – Aurora Dagny

“I’ll be graduating soon, and I’ve been thinking about my years in Montreal with both nostalgia and regret. Something has been nagging at me for a long time. There’s something I need to say out loud, to everyone before I leave. It’s something that I’ve wanted to say for a long time, but I’ve struggled to find the right words. I need to tell people what was wrong with the activism I was engaged in, and why I bailed out. I have many fond memories from that time, but all in all, it was the darkest chapter of my life.”

10.  I Don’t Know What To Do With Good White People – Brit Bennett

“Over the past two weeks, I’ve seen good white people congratulate themselves for deleting racist friends or debating family members or performing small acts of kindness to Black people. Sometimes I think I’d prefer racist trolling to this grade of self-aggrandizement. A racist troll is easy to dismiss. He does not think decency is enough. Sometimes I think good white people expect to be rewarded for their decency. We are not like those other white people. See how enlightened and aware we are? See how we are good?”

11.  Toward An Entish Civic Ideology – James Barnes

“Stop affiliating with a party, even as simple shorthand. We have to quit demonizing entire groups of people we don’t know. Discuss ideas—not people, not regions, not backgrounds—but ideas. It is ideas that matter in formulating plans and solving problems, not fears. Refuse to do what you’re told only because someone says “ time is short .”

12.  The Night A Corndog Basket in Tennessee Saved My Life – Cock D.

“I made my way up a steep hill to Drifter’s BBQ. I walked in to find a pretty young girl behind the bar. She glowed with the spirit and naivety of a gaggle of orphaned boys playing an impromptu game of baseball in the middle of a dirt road. She was beauty, and if I had the ability to feel the basic human emotion of love in that moment, I might have fallen for her. She didn’t offer much for conversation, most likely ‘cause I smelled of my own shit, but her presence was warming and reminded me of a better man’s childhood, free of responsibility or molestation. She filled a hole in me, and was at least nice enough to let a scoundrel stay for lunch.”

13.  Ask Polly: Would He Love Me If I Were Prettier, Skinnier, And Sweeter?  – Heather Havrilesky

“But you also sum up so many wasted hours of so many women’s lives with this: “Clearly he has the capacity to care, just not about me. And I don’t understand why.” This is something stupid that smart women do regularly: They believe that they can understand anything if they just think about it hard enough. “Why? Why not me ?” they ask, certain that the answer will reveal itself. “Can it really be that I’m not good enough to MAGICALLY CHANGE A NARCISSISTIC, AIMLESS, DRUNK FROG INTO A PRINCE?” None of the equations add up or make even the slightest bit of sense, but we just keep on writing them down, scribbling out numbers until our wrists ache. It’s like A Beautiful Mind except instead of winning a Nobel Prize you win a weekend of weeping on your bathroom floor.”

14.  Shame and Survival – Monica Lewinsky

“It may surprise you to learn that I’m actually a person.”

15.  Dear Straight Women Everywhere: In Relationships, You Always Have The Upper Hand – Rachel Hodin

“Present in all of these men’s words is evidence that, for a man, there is nothing more forceful or intoxicating than the initial sight of a beautifully captivating woman. It will lead them to disloyalty, to lose concentration on their work, and even to insanity.”

16. Fuck Yes or No  – Mark Manson

“Why would you ever be excited to be with someone who is not excited to be with you? If they’re not happy with you now, what makes you think they’ll be happy to be with you later? Why do you make an effort to convince someone to date you when they make no effort to convince you?”

17. Girlfriend – Wendy C. Ortiz

“I was dying to get out of my life, the one where I was a girlfriend, a really bad girlfriend, a girlfriend who cheated and got drunk a lot and threw up on her boyfriend’s floor which was really his mom and dad’s floor, and my boyfriend who was just this guy, really, a nice decent guy, the most decent of his friends but all my friends knew that we did not have fuck all in common, leaving me with this guy and his friends who I felt some weird kinship with, and why? Just why?”

18. My Receipt Was Not Good Enough – Roxane Gay

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Former senior staff writer and producer at Thought Catalog.

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Essay Samples on Someone Who Inspires Me

At its core, inspiration is a powerful force that ignites passion, propels dreams, and molds individuals into extraordinary beings. It is the vibrant pulse that surges through our veins, pushing us to achieve greatness even in the face of adversity. Crafting an essay about someone who inspires you allows you to shine a spotlight on the transformative power of such individuals.

How to Write an Essay on Someone Who Inspires Me

Here are some useful example you shpuld consider when writing a college essay about someone who inspires you:

• Consider beginning with a heartfelt introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and sets the stage for the awe-inspiring journey to come.
• Share a personal anecdote or a defining moment that sparked the connection between you and your inspirational figure, allowing the reader to empathize with your experience.
• Delve into the qualities and actions that make this individual so inspiring. Explore their accomplishments, perseverance, and unwavering determination. Showcase how their words and deeds have impacted your life, shaping your values and aspirations. Be vivid and descriptive, illustrating the profound influence they have had on your personal growth and development.
• Weave in personal reflections throughout your essay. Share introspective thoughts and revelations, highlighting the lessons you have learned and the ways in which your perspective has evolved. By doing so, you invite the reader to embark on a transformative journey alongside you, creating a powerful emotional connection.

To aid you in your writing process, we provide a sample essay about someone who inspires you. It serves as a guiding light, illustrating the structure, tone, and depth needed to craft an outstanding piece. Drawing inspiration from this sample, embrace your unique voice, infuse your essay with passion, and let your words leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of the readers.

A Bond Beyond Words: Reflecting on My Relationship with Someone Special

There are moments in life when we cross paths with someone who transforms our world in inexplicable ways. For me, that person is someone special who has walked alongside me, sharing laughter, tears, and countless memories. Our relationship is a testament to the beauty of...

• Someone Who Inspires Me

A Beacon of Inspiration: A Descriptive Peace about the Person I Admire

Amidst the myriad of individuals who have crossed the path of my life, there is one who stands as a beacon of inspiration, illuminating the way with her unwavering determination, boundless compassion, and unyielding spirit. Her name is Emma, and her presence in my life...

A Person I Will Always Remember: My English Teacher

Throughout our lives, we encounter countless individuals who leave a lasting impact on us. Among them, there is always that one person who stands out — a person whose presence, actions, and words etch a permanent mark in our memories. In this essay, I will...

• Influential Person

My Grandmother as My Role Model: Her Role in Shaping My Identity

The identities of Americans are diversified. One’s identity is made up of a person's culture, heritage, personality, and how they strive to succeed. The identity of a person is created, through the hardships faced and their history, whether it is that one is born in...

• Grandmother
• Grandparent

My Role Model and My Heroes: Mother and Father

Heroes can have a massive superb have an effect on on your life. My heroes are my mother and my dad. They are heroes to me each day and I have continually seemed up to them. I have always wanted to be just like my...

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Audrey Hepburn: Life Of A Timeless Inspiration Of Mine

When I think of an individual who I look up to and aspire to emulate, the first person that comes to mind is Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn’s career in both entertainment and humanitarian work is a path I know I will follow because it is...

• Audrey Hepburn

Oprah Winfrey and Ariana Grande: Women That Inspire Me

Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi on January 29,1954. Her parents were not married and broke up soon after she was born. Oprah Winfrey’s grandmother was strict and gave her plenty of discipline as she grew up on an isolated farm. Her grandmother taught her...

• Oprah Winfrey

St. Bernadette: The Woman That Inspires Me

The qualities that St. Bernadette of Soubirous has that I admire are; being humble, being modest, being obedient, and loving. I admire these qualities because they make a person better. Saint Bernadette was modest and humble because, she didn’t brag about seeing Mother Mary, and...

• Catholic Church

Simone De Beauvoir One of the Greatest Woman

Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie-Bertrand de Beauvoir was a French writer, political activist, feminist thinker and existentialist philosopher. She had worked alongside other famous existentialist such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Maurice Merleau-Ponty and was able to produce wonderful works such as She Came to Stay, Pyrrhus and...

• Existentialism
• Simone De Beauvoir

Ned Kelly: American Hero Or Villain

Ned Kelly was a bushranger and was born in June 1855 at Beveridge, Victoria. His father was John Kelly and his mother was Ellen Kelly. Ned became the father of his family at a very young age because of his fathers early death. In 1869...

Joan of Arc One of the Most Heroic Women in French History

Joan of Arc was one of the most heroic women in French history. She has claimed to hear voices that told her to lead France in the Hundred Years War leading France to some victories. Although some believe that the Joan of Arc heard the...

• Joan of Arc

Who Inspired Me to Become a Nurse

To me, nursing is a selfless job. You put the patients’ needs before yours to provide them with the care that they deserve. As a nurse, you are the healing hands. With the energy, compassion, and dedication you build with the patients, you make a...

• Life Changing Experience

Mary Kom, The Person Who Inspired Me to Pursue My Dreams

A question simply arises in my mind that how someone can be a great leader. I thought on this and then I came across various leadership qualities which leaders are having in them. Let me explain first about the leadership qualities. Leader is a word...

The People Who Shaped Me

At a young age of 7, I subconsciously started noticing my mom reminisce about her past and it made me see the way music connected her to her roots and in a way, made her human. It was waking up and witnessing a scene that...

Three People Who Influenced Me Throughout My Life

My parents are undeniably the people who gave me the most profound influence. I would not talk about them separately because they are truly in one flesh. My parents met each other at bible college, and after they married, they served in church and drug...

• Personal Life

Life Lessons in the Diary of Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a 13-year-old Jewish that has made a big impact on people around the world. Making us realize the crimes we create are destroying all of humanity just because some of us have different views and beliefs are certain things. If you don't...

• The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich: An Inspiration to All  

How would one respond to the most miserable and unpromising situation? In The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, the main character, Anne Frank, is deprived of her freedom and forced to hide in a secret annex. As a Jewish girl...

Tara Curb, Her Acts of Kindness Association, and Her Unique Vision of Kindness

It is a late-afternoon, November 7, 2019, on a freezing thirty-five degree and gloomy Thursday at the University of Oklahoma Bizzell Memorial Library. In one of the conference rooms held a Acts of Kindness Association meeting. Running the organization meeting was a smart young woman,...

Biography of Jackie Robinson - National Hero

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” (Jackie Robinson). In the United States in the 1940s, segregation was the way of life. You probably know Jackie Robinson as number 42; the first black man to play major league...

• Jackie Robinson

Life And Art Of Andy Warhol

I remember the first time I saw Andy Warhol’s artworks was about ten years ago at an exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan. At that time, I was not a big fan of Andy Warhol and I didn’t understand why all the works that only show some...

• Andy Warhol

Best topics on Someone Who Inspires Me

1. A Bond Beyond Words: Reflecting on My Relationship with Someone Special

2. A Beacon of Inspiration: A Descriptive Peace about the Person I Admire

3. A Person I Will Always Remember: My English Teacher

4. My Grandmother as My Role Model: Her Role in Shaping My Identity

5. My Role Model and My Heroes: Mother and Father

6. Audrey Hepburn: Life Of A Timeless Inspiration Of Mine

7. Oprah Winfrey and Ariana Grande: Women That Inspire Me

8. St. Bernadette: The Woman That Inspires Me

9. Simone De Beauvoir One of the Greatest Woman

10. Ned Kelly: American Hero Or Villain

11. Joan of Arc One of the Most Heroic Women in French History

12. Who Inspired Me to Become a Nurse

13. Mary Kom, The Person Who Inspired Me to Pursue My Dreams

14. The People Who Shaped Me

15. Three People Who Influenced Me Throughout My Life

• Career Goals
• Personal Experience
• Personality

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217 Motivational & Inspirational Essay Topics

Sometimes you just wish there was a marketplace with vendors shouting, “Topics for argument essays! Who wants inspirational topics to write about?” Well, you are lucky enough: you’ll find plenty of inspiring things here! Coming up with some argument essay topics is quite easy! In this article, you’ll find some of the brightest examples of motivational essay topics prepared by the experts of Custom-writing.org . There are also great tips that will help you make your essay or speech truly exciting.

🔝 Top 10 Inspirational Topics to Write About

• 🎉 Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

💪 Top 10 Motivational Topics to Write About

• 🎓 Topics for College Students
• 🏫 Topics for High School Students
• 🚸 Topics for Kids
• 🧔 Personal Essay Topics
• 🚀 Other Motivational Topics
• Can hard work beat talent?
• What can failure teach us?
• A life lesson learned at school
• The biggest mistake you’ve made
• The importance of positive thinking
• Is being grateful the key to happiness?
• How to be successful at teamwork
• The person who has changed your life
• Is goal-setting effective for success?
• Meditation and work-life balance

🎉 Monroe’s Motivated Sequence: The Best Way to Inspire by Your Essay or Speech

The purpose of any motivational essay or speech is to convince the audience that they need to improve themselves and their surroundings. The ability to inspire people is essential in personal and professional life, especially in managerial positions.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence will help you carry the day whenever you intend to persuade your listener in some statement or prompt them to change their behavior.

The method is based on scientifically justified cognitive processes. Notably, the majority of people strive for a balance, and if they face a problem, it causes discomfort. So they are ready to take any action to eliminate this dissonance. Bearing this in mind will make the following five steps more clear:

• Grab the attention. Aristotle said that to persuade the speaker needs to establish credibility, i.e., to sound like an expert. Tell them why they should trust you: are you an expert, or are you in the same situation as the listeners? Otherwise, such simpler hooks as humor, rhetorical questions, and motivational quotes would do as well.
• Find out the need. No problem can be resolved from the point where the problem was created. Illustrate the urgency of the subject field and make the audience engaged with it. Shocking statistics about life and society will help you do so.
• Satisfy the need. Now you are supposed to provide a solution to the problem. Give your audience a plan of action with some interesting argumentative grounding. True-to-life examples and viable data are valuable here.
• Explain the consequences. You can do it for one or several probable scenarios, one of which should be the maintaining of the status quo. Put in detail what disadvantages the current situation is bearing and what benefits could be drawn from the required changes.
• Call to action. Put it simple and actionable. Make a summary of what you said in paragraph 3 and restate the best outcome achievable.
• Can art help fight stress?
• Is charity a moral obligation?
• How your background shapes you
• Is every experience a good experience?
• Self-care as a way to deal with trauma
• Your experience of overcoming fears
• How to be responsible for your feelings
• Can humility make you a good leader?
• The importance of good communication skills
• Physical change as a way to get out of comfort zone

🎓 Inspiring Argumentative Essay Topics for College Students

College life is rebellious and eventful. Step by step, students enter adult life. At the same time, they start asking themselves hard questions. Giving them inspirational essay topics will raise their spirits and instill confidence in their strength. Very soon they will face such problems as employment and choice of lifestyle. It is better to think before the bell rings for the last time.

• Persistence is the crucial factor in starting your own business . Do you think that at some point, it can be reasonable to give up your business? What could be done to turn the failure into a benefit?
• Long-term success requires daily effort. Think about how to find inspiration in life. Do you agree with the theory of 10,000 hours? What does success mean to you?
• Which skills does a college graduate need to keep pace with the rapidly changing job market? Technologies change our lives dramatically every next decade. Does the educational system evolve as fast? How could a student get ready for the requirements that are not covered by the curriculum?
• What does constant learning and self-development comprise? Is it only about reading, or does it include more practical things? How could people make personal improvement an everyday practice, and should they?
• Time management can fulfill your dreams. If you lack time to become what you would like, you will always be discontented with what you are. What time management methods work effectively?
• It takes much effort to recover from a failure , but it pays off a hundredfold.
• A startup is better than being an employee at a big company.
• Jobs in medicine are a perfect opportunity for extraverted people to use their social skills.
• Small businesses are better at surviving hard times.
• If you master emerging technologies , you will have no rival.
• Education for students of colleges and universities should be free .
• Should an adult person change their job if it does not make them happy?
• Higher education teaches us to find the necessary information rather than specialized skills and knowledge.
• How important is teamwork in a startup ?
• Criticism is crucial for building adequate self-image.
• All businesses would benefit from a transparent economy.
• What could the last three generations of women empowerment teach us?
• Being a role model for your children : key factors.
• The most important fruit of your efforts is your personality .
• If I love, I give; I am not a bystander .
• Joy and sorrow are the inevitable realities of life, and we should be grateful for them.
• Unmade choices can rob your happiness .
• Self-motivation is the most important skill for youth.
• The person that does not want to create intends to destroy.
• Time has more value than money.
• Do Computers Rule Our World?
• Efficiency and Annoyance of E-Marketing .
• Domestic Violence : Victims Must Fight Back.
• Sex Education as a Necessity … and a Very Delicate Issue .
• Animal Experimentation: A Cruel Way to Cure Humankind .
• Sentenced to Death: Capital Punishment . Right the Wrongs Radically.
• Euthanasia: Murder out of Mercy or… Shortcut to Inheritance?
• Advertisements Manipulate People! Restricting the Ads.

🏫 Inspirational Essay Topics for High School Students

They do not expect you to to be too academic at high school, so your creativity can have no limits! Philosophical writing will make you look profound in the reader’s eyes. Still, real-life motivational speech topics would also be a great chance for your self-expression. Try to make your essay informative, avoiding shallow phrases.

• How could keeping your room clean help your studies ? Does order at home influence our mental state? Why do people study at a library, in impeccable order?
• The only purpose of life is to be truly alive. What does being alive mean to you? Is it about extreme activities and adrenaline, about love and feelings, or about achieving something significant?
• Are rituals important when one prepares for an important event? Do you consider routines as something superstitious? Do you practice similar actions before giving a public speech or asking someone to go out with you?
• Are we what we think of ourselves, or are we what others think about us? Is another person’s opinion important for you? Does it define you anyhow? How significant is your self-esteem in your life?
• Money can’t make you happy. If your soul knows no peace, no material benefits will remedy it. The most satisfied people are content with what they have.
• Life is short, and every day too valuable to procrastinate .
• What is worse: to be fat or to be mean?
• Funny moments make life more colorful.
• Happiness is not God’s gift. It is a result of hard work.
• Empathy makes us more humane.
• Dreams are not enough. You need to act.
• Is your life environmentally friendly ?
• When should students make their career choice ?
• The homeless and the poor : whose responsibility is this?
• The environment could be saved even by small changes in everyone’s life.
• Drones are the new era of delivery and surveillance.
• Negative thinking is the shortest way to turn one’s life into horror.
• What does make up a life: big days or ordinary days?
• Never forget who you are and what is essential for you.
• Overthinking about life distracts you from it.
• Biographies of famous people contain lots of inspiring ideas.
• Now or never: live your life today.
• You know your heart more than anybody else. So better trust it.
• If you are different, it means you have enough courage to be yourself.
• What is the motivation of people who wish to be the best in everything?
• Exam Nights : Why It Is Bad to Stay Up All Night Studying
• How to Behave If You Witness Bullying
• Why I (And More People Should) Prefer iPhone to Android
• The Latest Transformers Movie Is the Best One in the Series
• Education Pressures Can Be Reduced by Getting Rid of Grades

🚸 Motivational Essay Topics for Kids

Most kids adore speaking about important things: friends, parents, favorite protagonists, school, and games. The only thing you need it to pose the correct question. Thus the task will not just be educational but also engaging. Education for children is just another game, don’t forget it.

• Kids should grow up next to nature. Do you like to spend time in the woods or parks? What games could you play there? How does it change you?
• The best event that happened to me last summer. Where did you spend last summer? Did you make new friends ? What was the most exciting moment?
• How do I know that I am a good son or daughter? Does helping your parents with domestic chores make you a good child? What is good and bad behavior?
• A pill of good mood : my recipe. How do you improve your mood? Would you prefer sweet goodies, dancing, a good joke, or something else? How often are you in a good mood?
• How do you choose your friends? What traits of character are important for you in another person? Do you appreciate the friends that are kind, polite, well-bred, funny, helpful, or caring?
• Music should sound in school corridors during breaks.
• My grandparents are my best teachers.
• The traditions of my family bring us closer.
• Think about how to find inspiration in life if misfortune has happened to you?
• If you could change the ending of a fairy tale , what would it be?
• Be nice to the others if you want them to treat you nicely too.
• What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
• What is the best holiday for you?
• Tell three things you would like your parents to stop doing.
• Should we give animals more rights?
• Kangaroos are the best mothers in the animal world.
• What was your most significant birthday wish?
• Which country would you like to visit, and why?
• Is expressing yourself in English easier than in other languages?
• Which superhero power do you consider the most useful?
• Would you rather be rich and famous, or modest and free?
• What does a “comfort zone” mean for you?
• Sorting out trash helps the environment.
• What is the coolest profession ?
• How do you struggle with your fears ?
• Me and School: I Can Get Along with New People .
• My Favorite Sport: It Truly Makes People Happy.
• My Pet : Reasons to Keep It.
• My Pastime: Why I Think It Is Useful.
• The Person I Admire : Why Following His/Her Example.
• Praying Is Good—It Will Help You.
• Why Keeping Zoos Is Not Cruel.
• My Mom Works , and That Is Alright.

🧔 Personal Inspirational Topics to Write About

Your personality is unique. That is what makes us so interesting to each other. Find what distinguishes you from other people, and what makes you similar to them. Explore the effect of these features on your life. What habits and ways of doing things are expository of you? Going into these details will make your essay engaging and even touching.

• How could meditation make us more self-aware? What kinds of meditation do you know? Are they equally beneficial for the mind and body?
• Can you master your emotions in stressful situations? What was the strongest feeling you have ever experienced? Could you overcome it, and how?
• Are you introverted or extroverted ? How does it influence your lifestyle and relationships? What complications does it cause? Would you prefer to be different?
• How much do your friends and relatives define your personality ? Can we choose the people we would like to surround ourselves with, or does life make it for us?
• List the things that motivate you. Group them into categories. Why do they inspire you? Are they universal for everyone or personal to you?
• Can crying ease the sorrow?
• What were the biggest challenges in your life?
• How do you overcome stress and anxiety ?
• What means a “comfort zone” for you?
• Which controversial issues do you like discussing the most?
• Is keeping your house in order important for you?
• What was your role model in childhood?
• Are there things in your life you are grateful for?
• Do you have specific eating habits ?
• Is there any problem you cannot resolve for many years?
• Do you think bullying could be eliminated at schools?
• Could you call yourself a feminist ?
• What could your generation teach older people?
• What are the treasures of your family?
• What were the milestones in your life?
• Do you have a personal credo?
• If we were given points for being humane, how many would you earn?
• What would a stranger say about your character after a 5-minute conversation?
• Are you a believer ?
• What question would you ask a celebrity if you had a chance?
• Why I Ride A Bike Instead of Using Public Transport
• Is Makeup Appropriate for School?
• Why Playing the Original Half-Life Is Still Better than the Sequels
• Why I Do Not Wear Watches
• Why I Decided to Have a Makeover

6. 🚀 Other Motivational Topics to Write About

• Vegetarian Diet : Animals’ Lives vs. Your Health ;
• Commercials on the Internet: More than Annoyances;
• Sacrificing Animals for the Sake of People: Experimentations;
• Who and Why Plays Lottery: Big Chances, Small Wins.

• A Call Worth People’s Lives : Cell Phones as a Threat;
• How to Cope with Boredom… and Whether It Is any Use to Do So;
• Religion, Wars and Religious Wars: Can You See the Pattern?
• The Change of Male Roles: Men in Women’s Clothing.
• Female Roles Shifting: From Housewife to Breadwinner.
• Pregnant Teenagers and Society: Temper, Patience, Tactfulness.
• Climate Change Is Hand-Made. The Impact People Have on Earth .

History Topics

Yes, there is, just like any other field of knowledge. History is not only about dates and events—it is also about interpreting and evaluating the connections and impacts of those past happenings.

History will give you lots of argumentative topics, and here are some examples:

• Why World War I Was Inevitable: What Led to the Inevitability of War
• The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings Could Have Been Avoided: What the Allies Should Have Done
• Baby Boomers Were the Main Driving Force of the Sexual Revolution
• Among All Women’s Rights , the Right to Vote Was the Most Important

Writing about history can be challenging because you need to do a lot of research, but just look into any historical topic, and you’ll see how many creative opportunities for argumentative writing it’ll give you!

Social Media: The Topical Topic

Social media is an important part of many people’s lives today, and lots of argument essay topics can be dedicated to the various social media platforms. Think about tips for social media users, and also consider social media as a phenomenon. An example of a good essay could have one of these titles:

• Fewer Friends on Facebook Is Better
• Tweeting Too Much Annoys Your Audience
• How to Be Creative in Your Social Media Posts
• Do Not Spend More than Two Hours Daily on Social Media

For example, is there something you dislike about social media in general or perhaps about the way the people you follow behave online? Come up with arguments about why you dislike it!

Health and Medicine

In health care and the medical field, the number of argument essay topics is immense. There is a wide range of topics available, from arguments on how to manage your own health to arguments on how the entire health care system should be improved.

• Nursing Is More About Providing Comfort than Treatment
• Is Abortion Acceptable for First Pregnancies?
• Children with Mental Illness Should Go to Regular Schools

Your topic can be more personal if you want—for example, argue why running is good for your health or why giving up sweets altogether would not be a good health decision.

Pop Culture

Simply look around, and you will see an incredible variety of topics about what people see on TV, on the Internet, and in movies. If you’re into pop culture yourself, you surely have things you’d like to argue for or against.

• Why One Direction Should Never Come Back from Their Hiatus
• Lady Gaga’s Performance Was the Weakest Halftime Show in Years
• Should Children Be Exposed to Pop Culture ?
• Hollywood Blockbusters Are Channels of American Cultural Influence

Notice that your topics can be both about pop culture events or people and about pop culture as a whole.

Social Issues

If you want to turn to important topics that affect the whole of society, social issues are truly an inexhaustible field. Consider these topics:

• Legalizing Weed Is Inevitable
• Why Law Enforcement Authorities Should Be More Aggressive During Mass Protests
• Police Brutality : Are Mass Protests the Answer?
• Domestic Violence : Why Every Victim Should Report
• Should Basic Income Be Guaranteed?

For any social issue, you will easily find many proponents and opponents with various arguments, so take a stance of your own and start writing!

Leadership is something people talk a lot about in business, education, health care, and many other spheres. Whether you want to discuss leadership in the context of interpersonal relationships or in the context of public administration and governance of countries, you’ll find plenty of topics!

• Why You Should Try to Be a Leader in Your Class
• Leadership in the Workplace: How to and What for
• Instead of Preserving Their Own Power and Influence, Country Leaders Should Teach Others about Leadership
• What Are the Ways for Leaders to Build a Followership?
• Talk Like a Leader: The Adoption of Verbal Leadership Techniques

To start, try to pick a leadership topic that you’ve come across in your life—for example, argue for or against being a leader among friends or classmates. Also, check out common leadership essay requirements on our website!

Global Issues

Globalization poses a big question: Is it good or bad? By thinking about different aspects of the process, you can try to take a position and defend it.

• The Global Market Is a New and Better Level of International Trade
• Why Anti-Globalists Are Wrong
• Globalization Is a Threat to Indigenous Cultures
• Going Global : Why Adjusting Your Business to Cultural Differences Is a Poor Globalization Strategy
• How McDonald’s Is Killing Local Food Traditions

Also, try to think about particular global issues, such as global terrorism—propose a strategy of how it can be fought and argue why this strategy is the most effective one.

Climate Change

Since there are people who do not believe that climate change is happening, you can find many interesting topics to argue that it is—or, on the contrary, to support their position.

• Is Global Warming Real?
• What Prompts People to Personally Contribute to the CO2 Emissions Reduction Efforts?
• Why Fossil Fuel Producers Are Responsible for the Decrease in Biodiversity
• Carbon Taxes or Mitigation Strategies: What Should Governments Do?
• Why an Increase in the Sea Level Will Be a Disaster

Remember that there are many subtopics related to global warming: the greenhouse effect, water management, evidence of climate change, and many more.

Environment and Sustainability

This is closely related to the previous group of topics: think about pollution, environmental friendliness, and sustainable development.

• Turn off the Water when You Brush: Why You Should Try to Contribute to Sustainable Development in Everyday Life
• How Should Governments Prevent Pollution?
• Waste Management Profits: Waste Should Be Used to Produce Energy
• Hybrid Cars Are Better than Regular Ones
• Reasons to Choose Eco-Friendly Packaging

Go on and explore the many related topics—for example, deforestation, desertification, or renewable energy.

Gender Issues

Gender studies grew out of sociology long ago, and it is now a separate academic discipline that is controversial and can propose diverse topics for arguing. See for yourself!

• Gay Marriage Should Be Legalized Globally
• Men’s Feminism : By Definition, Can Only Women Be Feminists?
• Reporting Harassment Is the Best Strategy to Eradicate Gender Discrimination in the Workplace
• Rethinking Gender Roles in Western Civilization: Paternity Leave and Maternity Leave Should Have Equal Legal Statuses
• Attributes of Masculinity: Can Men Wear Women’s Clothes ?

When looking for topics to write about in the business sphere, pay attention to these examples:

• Reasons to Start a Business Instead of Being Hired
• Businesses Should Engage in Corporate Social Responsibility to Build a Favorable Image
• A Balanced Scorecard Is the Best Way to Know if Your Company is Doing Well
• Rising above the Competition: How to Address Uncontested Demand
• Business Research: What is the Best Way to Know What Your Customers Need ?

You may also want to turn to specific examples. Pick a business (either a well-known company or a store around the corner) and think about how it could be a topic for an argument essay: its strategies, its positioning, or its choice of communication practices—there are so many aspects to choose from!

Communications

Communication is a wide-ranging notion: It is both about texting a friend to tell a funny story and emailing an HR manager when looking for a job. According to a famous article from The New York Times, the goal for any type of communication is the same: effectiveness. So consider these examples of arguing how communication can be more effective:

• Why You Should Avoid Sarcasm In Your Speech
• Body Language: How to Look Confident and Trustworthy
• In English, Why You Should Avoid Saying “Not”
• Email or Personal Conversation: Which Is Better?
• Giving Children a Choice: Why Prohibitions Are Ineffective

Also, perhaps you can speculate on different types of media and argue, say, that books are more (or less) emotionally appealing to people than movies.

Essay Writing

If you’ve made it this far, you’re obviously motivated to find a good topic for your argument essay. Well, funny as it may sound, the answer has been right in front of you! Write an essay on writing an essay itself. For example:

• Why You Should Always Make an Outline Before Writing a Paper
• Is a Personal Story the Best Hook in Narrative Essays?
• Compare Contrast Essays: Why a Point-by-Point Structure Is Better than a Block Structure
• Essay Types Classification: Should You Consider Different Types before Starting an Essay?
• How to Write an Essay Faster: Never Start Writing from the Introduction Paragraph

Remember that you want to write an argument essay, so do not merely give your readers tips—instead, argue that a certain approach to composing an essay is the wisest.

This might be interesting for you:

• Top Ideas for Argumentative or Persuasive Essay Topics
• Best Argumentative Research Paper Topics
• Great Persuasive & Argumentative Essay on Divorce
• Gun Control Essay: How-to Guide + Argumentative Topics
• Proposal Essay Topics and Ideas – Easy and Interesting
• Free Exemplification Essay Examples

🤔 Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas: FAQ

This type of essay represents two and more views on a problem or reality. The author is supposed to make it clear which opinion is the correct one compared to the others. The principal methods in this piece of writing are logical argumentation, stating cold facts and reasoning.

• Cloning and genetic engineering
• Global warming: causes and consequences
• Men and women, their rights and obligations.
• Educational systems
• Methods of raising children
• Successful economic models
• Industrialization VS harmony with nature
• Money and means of earning
• Leadership methods
• Social media VS real life
• Home and family VS career
• Technologies are changing our lives.
• Good relationships require much time.
• Sports competitions are beneficial for the economy.
• Pets can make us more caring.
• What are the most important jobs for a society?
• Failures make us stronger.
• Computers are all around us.
• Is vegetarianism healthy or not?
• News is too selective and subjective to give us a real picture.
• Legalization of guns and drugs
• Rights of minorities
• Homebirth VS hospital birth
• Differences between men and women
• Globalization VS nationalization
• Corporal punishment
• Fur production
• Market economy or planning
• Obesity and dieting
• Military service: obligation or choice
• Choice of disciplines at school
• Databases for Research & Education: Gale
• A CS Research Topic Generator
• 200 Prompts for Argumentative Writing: The New York Times
• 50 Argumentative Essay Topics: Thought Co.
• Choosing a Research Problem: USC Libraries
• Selecting a Research Topic: Overview (MIT Libraries)
• How do I choose a research topic? UW Libraries
• Social Media & Health Research Topics: UW Milwaukee
• Climate Change Topics: USDA
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Are you searching for original, thought-provoking, and really controversial debate topics? Here they are! Selecting any of these 25 controversial topics for debate from Custom-writing.org, you can guarantee a heated dispute in class or exciting polemics with your friends. But first, let’s figure it out, what is debate and how you should pick up great...

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We came up with this guide to make school essay writing easy for you. Need some creative writing topics for grade 8? Or recommendations for the 11th-grade expository paper? We’ve got you! Helpful tips and essay topics for grades 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12— our Custom-writing.org team has advice for everyone. Here, you’ll find: In fact, our recommendations will be perfectly suitable for both middle and high school students....

Have you ever thought about the importance of transportation? Every day we see cars, trucks, planes, and ships and never wonder what exactly they are doing. In fact, these vehicles not only transport people from one place to another. They also form a vast system that plays a vital role...

In a few words, family values can be defined as principles, some ideals, and beliefs within a family that are passed from generation to generation. You should keep in mind that family values might change with time. Besides, they may differ from culture to culture.

India gained its independence on August 15, 1947. Before that, it was a British colony. Since 1947, India has changed a lot, and this is what you will have to discuss in your essay on India after 60 Years of Independence.

Throughout history, people have dreamed of a world without violence, where harmony and justice reign. This dream of world peace has inspired poets, philosophers, and politicians for centuries. But is it possible to achieve peace globally? Writing a world peace essay will help you find the answer to this question...

So, there are a few days left before Halloween, one of the favorite American holidays both for kids and adults. Most probably, your teacher will ask to prepare a Halloween essay. And most probably, it is not the first Halloween essay that you need to prepare. We are sure that...

An investigative essay is a piece of writing based on the information you gather by investigating the topic. Unlike regular research or term paper, this assignment requires you to conduct interviews, study archival records, or visit relevant locations—in a word, inspect things personally. If you’re a fan of detective stories,...

A nationalism essay is focused on the idea of devotion and loyalty to one’s country and its sovereignty. In your paper, you can elaborate on its various aspects. For example, you might want to describe the phenomenon’s meaning or compare the types of nationalism. You might also be interested in...

“People for sale” is a phrase that describes exactly what human trafficking is. It also makes for an attention-grabbing title for an essay on this subject. You are going to talk about a severe problem, so it’s crucial to hook the reader from the get-go. A human trafficking essay is...

Is globalization a beneficial process? What are the pros and cons of a religious upbringing? Do the drawbacks of immigration outweigh the benefits? These questions can become a foundation for your advantages and disadvantages essay. And we have even more ideas to offer! There is nothing complicated about writing this...

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Creative Writing Prompts

When the idea to start a weekly newsletter with writing inspiration first came to us, we decided that we wanted to do more than provide people with topics to write about. We wanted to try and help authors form a regular writing habit and also give them a place to proudly display their work. So we started the weekly Creative Writing Prompts newsletter. Since then, Prompts has grown to a community of more than 450,000 authors, complete with its own literary magazine, Prompted .  

Here's how our contest works: every Friday, we send out a newsletter containing five creative writing prompts. Each week, the story ideas center around a different theme. Authors then have one week — until the following Friday — to submit a short story based on one of our prompts. A winner is picked each week to win $250 and is highlighted on our Reedsy Prompts page.

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Why we love creative writing prompts

If you've ever sat in front of a computer or notebook and felt the urge to start creating worlds, characters, and storylines — all the while finding yourself unable to do so — then you've met the author's age-old foe: writer's block. There's nothing more frustrating than finding the time but not the words to be creative. Enter our directory! If you're ready to kick writer's block to the curb and finally get started on your short story or novel, these unique story ideas might just be your ticket.

This list of 1800+ creative writing prompts has been created by the Reedsy team to help you develop a rock-solid writing routine. As all aspiring authors know, this is the #1 challenge — and solution! — for reaching your literary goals. Feel free to filter through different genres, which include...

Dramatic — If you want to make people laugh and cry within the same story, this might be your genre.

Funny — Whether satire or slapstick, this is an opportunity to write with your funny bone.

Romance — One of the most popular commercial genres out there. Check out these story ideas out if you love writing about love.

Fantasy — The beauty of this genre is that the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Dystopian – Explore the shadowy side of human nature and contemporary technology in dark speculative fiction.

Mystery — From whodunnits to cozy mysteries, it's time to bring out your inner detective.

Thriller and Suspense — There's nothing like a page-turner that elicits a gasp of surprise at the end.

High School — Encourage teens to let their imaginations run free.

Want to submit your own story ideas to help inspire fellow writers? Send them to us here.

After you find the perfect story idea

Finding inspiration is just one piece of the puzzle. Next, you need to refine your craft skills — and then display them to the world. We've worked hard to create resources that help you do just that! Check them out:

• How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten-day course by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.
• Best Literary Magazines of 2023 — a directory of 100+ reputable magazines that accept unsolicited submissions.
• Writing Contests in 2023 — the finest contests of 2021 for fiction and non-fiction authors of short stories, poetry, essays, and more.

Beyond creative writing prompts: how to build a writing routine

While writing prompts are a great tactic to spark your creative sessions, a writer generally needs a couple more tools in their toolbelt when it comes to developing a rock-solid writing routine . To that end, here are a few more additional tips for incorporating your craft into your everyday life.

• NNWT. Or, as book coach Kevin Johns calls it , “Non-Negotiable Writing Time.” This time should be scheduled into your routine, whether that’s once a day or once a week. Treat it as a serious commitment, and don’t schedule anything else during your NNWT unless it’s absolutely necessary.
• Set word count goals. And make them realistic! Don’t start out with lofty goals you’re unlikely to achieve. Give some thought to how many words you think you can write a week, and start there. If you find you’re hitting your weekly or daily goals easily, keep upping the stakes as your craft time becomes more ingrained in your routine.
• Talk to friends and family about the project you’re working on. Doing so means that those close to you are likely to check in about the status of your piece — which in turn keeps you more accountable.

Arm yourself against writer’s block. Writer’s block will inevitably come, no matter how much story ideas initially inspire you. So it’s best to be prepared with tips and tricks you can use to keep yourself on track before the block hits. You can find 20 solid tips here — including how to establish a relationship with your inner critic and apps that can help you defeat procrastination or lack of motivation.

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Essay on Inspiration | Essay Writing | Short Composition | English |

Table of Contents

Essay on Inspiration | Essay Writing | Short Composition | English

What is Inspiration?

Inspiration is when you feel like you want to do something, especially something creative . It  comes from the Latin word “ inspirare ” which means to breathe. This is because inspiration literally gives someone a new set of breaths of life. It motivates them to take actions and accomplish their goals; not only that but inspiration also pushes people to do things they didn’t even know were possible before.  So, if we’re inspired we’ll be more likely to try something new and harder than we would on our own accord.

Where Can Inspiration Come From?

Inspiration can come from any where. For instance, inspiration can come from children playing at the park down the street. They may not play on a field where thousands of fans cheer them on with signs screaming their names, but they still find motivation and inspiration in whatever they’re doing. Perhaps the five-year old boy found inspiration in swinging on his swing set: “I want to do this for hours!” exclaims, as he swings high into the sky. Or inspiration to keep running around in circles could’ve come from the little girl saying “Look at me, Mommy!” as she tries to see how far she can run.

Why Do We Need Inspiration?

Everyone needs inspiration and motivation to achieve the goals of his life. Inspiration, if received from anyone, can help produce unbelievable results.  Many people look for inspiration and motivation from celebrities, athletes, motivational speakers and the like but inspiration and motivation can come from anywhere, even a TV show. a video game or a movie.

How Can We Inspire Others?

We can inspire others a lot by demonstrating by displaying someone’s reputation, strong character, determination, perseverance and behaviour. There is nothing more influential than this. Besides, there are many other ways to inspire others such as; by telling a motivational story, trusting & believing in them and challenging them. These are some of the way to inspire people. So keep inspiring others.

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APJ Abdul Kalam Essay for Students and Children

500+ words apj abdul kalam essay.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is a famous name in the whole world. He is counted among the greatest scientists of the 21st century. Even more, he becomes the 11th president of India and served his country. He was the most valued person of the country as his contribution as a scientist and as a president is beyond compare. Apart from that, his contribution to the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) is remarkable. He headed many projects that contributed to the society also he was the one who helped in the development of Agni and Prithvi missiles. For his involvement in the Nuclear power in India, he was known as “Missile Man of India”. And due to his contribution to the country, the government awarded him with the highest civilian award.

Career and Contribution of APJ Abdul Kalam

APJ Abdul Kalam was born in Tamil Nadu. At that time the financial condition of his family was poor so from an early age he started supporting his family financially. But he never gave up education. Along with supporting his family he continued his studies and completed graduation. Above all, he was a member of the Pokhran nuclear test conducted in 1998.

There is a countless contribution of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam to the country but he was most famous for his greatest contribution that is the development of missiles that goes by the name Agni and Prithvi.

Source: sivadigitalart

Presidency Period

The great missile man becomes the President of India in 2002. During his presidency period, the army and country achieved many milestones that contributed a lot to the nation. He served the nation with an open heart that’s why he was called ‘people’s president’. But at the end of his term period, he was not satisfied with his work that’s why he wanted to be the President a second time but later on forfeited his name.

Post-presidency Period

After leaving the presidential office at the end of his term Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam again turn to his old passion which is teaching students. He worked for many renowned and prestigious institute of India located across the country. Above all, according to his the youth of the country is very talented but need the opportunity to prove their worth that’s why he supported them in their every good deed.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Awards and Honors

During his lifetime Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was not only awarded and honored by Indian organization and committees but also by many international organizations and committees.

Writings and Character

During his lifetime, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam wrote many books but his most notable work was ‘India 2020’ which have an action plan to make India a superpower.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was a man of simplicity and integrity. He was so busy at work that he rises up early in the morning and work till late hours after midnight.

Death of APJ Abdul Kalam

He died during delivering a lecture to students in Shillong by sudden cardiac arrest in 2015. He was an outstanding scientist and a pioneer engineer who served his entire life for the nation and died while serving it. The man had the vision to make India a great country. And according to his the youth are the real assets of the country that’s why we should inspire and motivate them.

Essay Topics on Famous Leaders

• Mahatma Gandhi
• APJ Abdul Kalam
• Jawaharlal Nehru
• Swami Vivekananda
• Mother Teresa
• Rabindranath Tagore
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Subhash Chandra Bose
• Abraham Lincoln
• Martin Luther King

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