Fulghum, Robert

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

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All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
A masterpiece
A book of giving
Newest Edition
Review by the author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Robert Fulghum
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 034546639X
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Book Description

Fifteen years ago, Robert Fulghum published a simple credo—a credo that became the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Now, seven million copies later, Fulghum returns to the book that was embraced around the world. He has written a new preface and twenty-five essays, which add even more potency to a common, though no less relevant, piece of wisdom: that the most basic aspects of life bear its most important opportunities.

Here Fulghum engages us with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental U.S.A. The little seed in the Styrofoam cup offers a reminder about our own mortality and the delicate nature of life . . . a spider who catches (and loses) a full-grown woman in its web one fine morning teaches us about surviving catastrophe . . . the love story of Jean-Francois Pilatre and his hot air balloon reminds us to be brave and unafraid to “fly” . . . life lessons hidden in the laundry pile . . . magical qualities found in a box of crayons . . . hide-and-seek vs. sardines—and how these games relate to the nature of God. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten is brimming with the very stuff of life and the significance found in the smallest details.

In the years that have passed since the first publication of this book that touched so many with its simple, profound wisdom, Robert Fulghum has had some time to ponder, to reevaluate, and to reconsider. And here are those fresh thoughts on classic topics, right alongside the wonderful new essays.

Perhaps in today’s chaotic, more challenging world, these essays on life will resonate even deeper—as readers discover how universal insights can be found in ordinary events.

Download Description

Here Fulghum engages us with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental U.S.A. The little seed in the Styrofoam cup offers a reminder about our own mortality and the delicate nature of life... a spider who catches (and loses) a full-grown woman in its web one fine morning teaches us about surviving catastrophe... the love story of Jean-Francois Pilatre and his hot air balloon reminds us to be brave and unafraid to "fly"... life lessons hidden in the laundry pile... magical qualities found in a box of crayons... hide-and-seek vs. sardines—and how these games relate to the nature of God. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten is brimming with the very stuff of life and the significance found in the smallest details.

In the years that have passed since the first publication of this book that touched so many with its simple, profound wisdom, Robert Fulghum has had some time to ponder, to reevaluate, and to reconsider. And here are those fresh thoughts on classic topics, right alongside the wonderful new essays.

Perhaps in today's chaotic, more challenging world, these essays on life will resonate even deeper—as readers discover how universal insights can be found in ordinary events.<hr>

"A healthy antidote to the horrors that pummel us in this dicey age."
   BALTIMORE SUN

"It is interesting how much of it applies not only to individuals, grown or small, but even to nations."
   NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

"Within simplicity lies the sublime."
   SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"As universal as fresh air and invigorating as the fragrance of a Douglas fir."
   LOS ANGELES TIMES<hr>

Customer Reviews:

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.......2007-05-12

Great book! I enjoyed reading it very much! Would reccomend this book for all!

A masterpiece.......2007-03-14

Wonderfully funny, honest look at the world. I read this book years ago but still still return to the books simple wisdom, especially as I grow older. If I could only own one Robert Fulghum book THIS would be it.

A book of giving.......2007-01-25

Simple words of wisdom on treating others as you would like them to treat you; for young children to adults. The humor he brings to the subject discussed holds the book together. A book of giving; have fun with it.

A few things learned: sharing, play fair, clean up, don't steal, say your sorry, flush, naps are good, clean your mess......................

Wish you well
Scott

Newest Edition.......2007-01-18

This book is one of my favorites and to have the newest edition with the revisions makes it even better!

Review by the author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.......2006-12-08

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum December 2006
You'll find few celebrities in the pages of this book. Instead you'll find the truth in everyday form in his short anecdotes and essays. Fulghum writes with wit and insight about small lives and trivial events with big meanings. He tells of how he and his wife are catalog junkies. And one day they were looking through catalogs and she asked him what he really wanted that he did not have. He said once he set aside the more ludicrous notions involving lust, gluttony, and wanton greed, the discussion turned in a more meaningful direction: I'd like to be able to see the world through somebody else's mind and eyes for just one day. There is a morning in the summer of 1984 I'd like to live over just as it was. I'd like to speak ten foreign languages well enough to get the humor of another culture. I'd like to talk with Socrates and watch Michelangelo sculpt "David." He says most of all he would like to have a grandfather. He says in a sense we make up all our relatives, especially if they are dead or distant. We take what we know, which isn't ever the whole story and add to what we wish and need and stitch it together into some kind of family quilt to wrap up in on our mental couch. He said thinking of the grandfather he wishes he had prepares him for the grandfather he wishes to be. It is a preparation. "Sometime, not too far from now," he said, "a child will call out "Grandfather" and I will know what to do." His stories are not profound, but they will make you laugh and cry.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.

Words I Wish I Wrote: A Collection of Writing That Inspired My Ideas

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Genuine Inspiration
A glimpse into an unusual mind
Good Stuff
Brilliant!
From Kindergarten to Bene-Dictions of Wisdom!

Words I Wish I Wrote: A Collection of Writing That Inspired My Ideas
Robert Fulghum
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060932228

Amazon.com

Robert Fulghum, the part-time Unitarian minister whose gentle and humorous stories have made him a bestselling author many times over (beginning with All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten), pays tribute to the writers who inspired him in Words I Wish I Wrote. He confesses that at one particularly low moment in the late '50s, he was dredged up from the Slough of Despond by reading the works Albert Camus, whose gaze over a deeper abyss gave Fulghum hope. It was that experience that led Fulghum to seek out writings with uplifting messages. The result is this compilation of brief passages from the likes of Wallace Stevens ("After the final no there comes a yes"), Tom Robbins ("Real courage is risking one's clichés"), and Buckminster Fuller ("God is a verb").

Book Description

In Words I Wish I Wrote, Robert Fulghum reveals the works of writers who have inspired him. During the past four decades he's reviewed and revised the basic principles of his philosophy many times, sometimes as an exercise in personal growth, but more often in response to individual crisis. Then at fifty, seeking a simplicity to counter the complex thinking of his college years, Fulghum wrote a summary essay professing that all he really needed to know he learned in kindergarten. As he approached his sixtieth year, Fulghum became curious about what in his outlook had changed and what had endured.

On review, Fulghum explains, everything he has ever said and thought and written is transparent to him now. As hard as he has tried to speak in his own voice, much of what he's said is neither original nor unique. The best ideas are often old and are continually being revived, recycled, renewed. Wherever his search took him, Fulghum found that someone else has been there before. And more often than not, that person has chosen words Fulghum wishes he had written, using language he can't improve upon. To Fulghum, however, this isn't a discouraging realization. It's a recognition n of companionship, which is an affirming consolation.

The confirming statements, quotes, and credos that Fulghum recorded in his journals for years are collected here, representing the most important ideas underlying his living and thinking. They are organized thematically into such chapters as Companions, God, Bene-Dictions, Contra-Dictions, Simplify, and Believe. Each begins with Fulghum's own insightful, introductory words, followed by inspiring passages drawn from a diverse group of sources, from Jerry Garcia to Albert Camus, Dylan Thomas to Franz Kafka. At the end of each chapter, Fulghum offers readers his own personal commentary on the sources--where he was introduced to their words, why he returns to them again and again, and how they may change you.

Customer Reviews:

Genuine Inspiration.......2007-03-22

For me, this was a wonderful find. This book wasn't particularly long, and I'd seen about 25% of the material before, but parts of it were simply wonderful.

I love the way it has helped me think about my projects.

As high as I rate this work, I cannot recommend buying if you can check it out from your library. It has lots of blank space (if the text was condensed like a novel, it would be about 100 pages at most), and it is easy enough to Xerox or copy down the best passages you find to have personal significance.

A glimpse into an unusual mind.......2006-06-07

I've long enjoyed Mr. Fulghum's insights and quirky stories, so I thought it would be interested to see what his sources of inspiration were. This is actually a pretty brief book--the layout (with each quote on its own page) bulks up the book with a fair amount of blank paper. The quotes are divided into a series of thematic chapters, and Fulghum provides an introduction to each section and annotations about the authors/sources included. Some of these quotes are entertaining, others thought provoking. All of them provide a glimpse into Fulghum's mind and provide some insights into his view of life. While interesting, this book is not nearly as entertaining as some of his earlier works.

Good Stuff.......2006-02-25

I recently stumbled across a reference to Robert Fulghum on my web-wanderings. It was a long time ago that I read "All I Need to Know..." but I remembered the impact that small book made on me. Because I've been reading more lately, I ordered a few of Fulghum's books, thinking I might enjoy some of the others. Enter "Words I Wish I Wrote."

This book is a glimpse into the mind of a writer. It's a look at what makes him tick. That's not because he tells us per se, but because we get a chance to see some of the writings that influenced him. In the process, it is his chance to share with us the words of other writers he loves.

The invitation to share is a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets, the quotes, the aphorisms (a great favorite of mine), and the poetry. The sampler provided me with a broad array of new writers to personally explore as I collect my own set of words I wish I wrote.

Now I have a lot more reading to do. When you buy this little book, plan on spending some time reading, thinking, and sharing with those close to you. I've been reading bits and pieces to Wife and Young Son as I read. It's fun.

Brilliant!.......2004-06-26

It's amazing how a book can contain so many wise ideas and mainly be the ideas that have been said before. The author is a good chooser of quotes and writings that stimulate the intelligence and imagination.

GOOD JOB!!!

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

From Kindergarten to Bene-Dictions of Wisdom!.......2003-11-16

I have enjoyed the other reviews, especially one with all the Poetry! From judging by the Author's picture on the back cover in his Library, seeing the references to William Butler Yeats, and quotes in Chaps: Simplify, Play, Lafter, God, Bene-Dictions and Contra-Dictions. I wholeheartedly agree that he loves poetry and very likely is a Poet! He is infinitely qualified to write about and quote these intensely varied poems like "Ithaca, "How can I keep from singing, "All things dull and ugly, plus Annie Dillard and Thomas Merton!

I am pleasantly surprised seeing his quote of Scott Fitzgerald, on being able "to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time..." Since I had lost that proper resource. Also happily, I noted the successive pages with Walt Whitman, William Blake and Ralph Walso Emerson! I am fortunately blessed to discover this collection of Wisdom, to keep alongside of Thomas Moore's neat "Meditations, Thomas Merton's "Essays on Contemplation, and Anthony deMello's "Awareness plus his "Song of The Bird.

Reading his Introducton, so personally written, I was reminded of his earlier, "From Beginning to End" and his final chapter fittingly titled Bene-Dictions using Carl Sandburg and Jerry Garcia! Pointedly contrasting excerpts from my favorite chapters I conclude with his Big Chapter on God: With "Renascence of Edna St Vincent Milay, "When We Very Young of AA Milne, ee cummings, Nikos Kazantzakis...Altogether are too much for my mysticism to handle at one sitting! From an experienced Lover of Wisdom Writings... Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood

Average customer rating:

I must make one correction in my story in the book.
The many faces of love
My opinion
Writing about Love
Warm Fuzzy

True Love
Robert Fulghum
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0061096164

Book Description

The beloved author of the modern classic book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten now tackles life's most mysterious, joyous and most confusing topic -- love.An irresistible collection of real-life love stories, mixed with Robert Fulghum's own quirky insights and unmistakable homespun observations, True Love tells the many unpredictable tales of love. Here it is: the intriguing story of the woman who marries her mother's high school flame; a man who learns that "old love" and new pajamas are a dangerous mix; a man who miraculously reunites with his first love (after 20 years) on an LA freeway; the touching tale of a husband's love for his wife after her disabling stroke; a 14-year-old's philosophy of looking for love on the boardwalk; the brief moment of connection of a smile shared at a stoplight; and so many more.

Customer Reviews:

I must make one correction in my story in the book. .......2007-01-13

Of course you'll love this book because it's a true reflection of so many facets of romantic love. And I also personally love it because I wrote the story in it about Danny O'Neal. I don't remember the title of the story, but I'll never forget my accurate description of Danny "He was like Peter O'Toole with a double dose of testorone and a Tommy Lee Jones smile." (:sweet memory and sigh here.:)

I want to make one correction that made a few people from Oklahoma and Arkansas upset. I signed it as Lilly from Fort Smith, Oklahoma. There is a Fort Smith, Arkansas about 5 miles from the Oklahoma line. I did that in a foolish attempt to make sure Danny knew it was really me because Fort Smith, OK was a joke between us. I wrote my story in about 1991. 16 years later - Danny O'Neal remains the most fascinating, thrilling romantic memory of my life.

And, also since I still haven't heard from Danny in all these years, I'm hoping if he ever googles his name, this review will come up. Please forgive me.... but at the very least I want him to know how much he delighted me and that story ws no doubt only chosen because of how wonderful he was to me. :D

Wishing magnificent, thrilling love to one and all,

Lollie aka Lilly.

The many faces of love.......2005-09-22

Unlike the earlier Fulghum books I've read, this one isn't really a collection of Fulghum's writings, but instead is a collection of stories that were sent or told to him. Fulghum's role here is more as an editor, presenting other people's stories. But what stories! These stories demonstrate the vast diversity of love, and show us that love can take as many forms as there are different people. Some of these stories are sad, others poignant, and many are incredibly romantic. Scattered in between these stories are comments by Fulghum, under the heading "Perspective," where he discusses his impressions of the stories or relates stories of his own. This book is easily as reflective as any of his earlier work, but has fewer "laugh out loud" moments. It provides some interesting perspectives on relationships, and certainly is a must read for anyone who consideres themself to be a romantic.

My opinion.......2005-04-30

This book looks at love from all the angles possible. Its an amazing reading. I would recommend it for all those with romantic soul.
Lucia Racekova
visual merchandiser

Writing about Love.......2004-06-26

This is a brilliant little book about how the love bug can strike each and every one of us in unique ways. It's an easy read that can be digested not just by the scholar but by the common man. It's a hopeful book. More books like this should be written.

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Warm Fuzzy.......2004-06-18

It's a keeper on my "good book" shelf, hardback with a bookplate, the whole nine-yards. What I love is his selection and the understanding gained that love means different things to different people and (most importantly) at different times in their life. That lesson has helped me cope with troublesom relationships. I loved them for a reason at the time and that time and that reason fulfilled my need. It was enough. That is what I learned.
I don't rate this book up with Fulghums' previous books mostly because it is a compilation with commentary and not pure, chapter after chapter Fulghum. That may seem like a technicality, but it made all the difference for me. It still has the same wit and charm of any of his other books.
I found it difficult to sit down and get through the whole thing and feel "absorbed". It's the kind of book that you can read a few stories, put it down and come back to as you feel the need. I really couldn't read it straight through. I attribute that to the nature of it though, and not to Fulghums' writing.

Average customer rating:

A Writer that Did Affect my perceptions of my role as a teacher
Hilarious!
Worth Reading
Another Great One..
Great Life Observations!

It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It
Robert Fulghum
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0449000966
Release Date: 1997-10-05

Book Description

In his first phenomenal best-seller, EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN, Robert Fulghum reminded readers everywhere of some plain and still-true truths. Now, picking up where he left off, Fulghum turns our eyes to show-and-tell, weddings, his own ten commandments, and more insightful and unique observations on what our world is and was....

Customer Reviews:

A Writer that Did Affect my perceptions of my role as a teacher.......2007-05-11

National Day Of The Teacher 2007

The line between good and evil, hope and despair, does not divide the world between "us" and "them". It runs down the middle of every one of us. I do not want to talk about what you understand about this world. I want to know what you will do about it. I do not want to know what you hope. I want to know what you will work for. I do not want your sympathy for the needs of humanity. I want your muscle. As the wagon driver said when they came to a long hard hill, "Them that's going on with us, get out and push. Them that ain't, get out of the way."
Robert Fulghum (1937 - )
Source: It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, Page: 107

Teachers live on the line. For they work towards the day when will all "get there together, all to the promised land". They are doing something, full of all the contradictions of their humanity. But as I look at our world I see our teachers shouldering their share of doing. (I wrote this last night vomiting with a stomach flu trying in my illness to gather thoughts about teaching. The vomiting and the thoughts are somehow hooked. This quote one that started a training I had to attend this year... )

I recommend this book. I read it after I had taught a few years. Fulghum has a funny way of re-engaging you in teaching and connecting to what matters. I write this in part thinking of this funny group of stories.

And so, we teachers.....We show up, we assess the lay of the land and work towards the future.
As I look out on the Day of the Teacher May 2007, in a time recognizing "The creativity in the Art of Teaching ", this year something tells me that the capacity of teachers to "get out and push" has probably defined the last year, as we have (many of us) struggled often under-valued, under-respected and perhaps diminished as creative and thinking within many processes that have felt at best "political" and at worst a gathering storm. And yet here we are, teachers together, with our metaphorical umbrellas and rain gear,
tarps, our maps and boots, projects and yardsticks trying to guide the young through this hurricane into the calm day of future.
Here we are. Guides. Beacons. Light. Here we are.

This year my children had, as ever, very good teachers, support, safety, curriculum, tests, tasks and sometimes, sometimes moments of inspiration. And it's hard to know exactly with teens what these inspiring lessons are, for the children hold so much close to the vest. But I do watch. I see the dedication to tasks, their concern to do good works, I see their events, their projects, the concerts, science events, awards. And I know teacher energy and teacher dedication put these things into place for them.

I'm incredibly grateful for public school and the opportunity to see my children grow their capacities and human gifts in that space where everyone is welcome. And no one is considered sorted for their money, race, religion, because like our country itself we create a microcosm, a school, to represent the kind of opportunity our country represents. A land of the free and brave. A place to come together, learn, work, achieve, share, make friends and work to understand one another so that we may live peaceful lives on our journey on earth.

I am deeply appreciative to public schools and to the teachers here in the Oxnard plain.
And to you reading out in the world.
You showed up. You make a difference.

My daughter Sylvia is graduating this year. It's almost more than I can address here the complexities of my feelings about her 12 years in our schools. I'm proud of her work, thankful for her instructors, aware of everything that has changed nationally in these times.

Central to my hope for Sophia, Luca and Sylvia was that they would attend the school in which I taught, work to do their best, and learn about their world through this process both our national greatness and to understand those that need our compassion. Understand our foibles , our unfairness, see dignity and humanity up close. I wanted my children to understand that among the finest people on earth are often those we discount, we project our pathologies upon. I wanted my children to look at the content of our character. I wanted my children to value their character, the active lexicon of love as a first line of response. I think they have had a phenomenal education in being human. I wanted them to grow to understand why I became a teacher, why we choose this work, and to see daily something I kind of thought of as "what really matters."

And I'm afraid, as great as they score, it isn't for me contained in a test measure. I value a test measure as an indicator of something. But I'm in it for the long haul. And that takes a lifetime to know and get the results back. But know, I think everyday children are being given bits of future 'stardust", inspiration.....I see them enough to know this work matters no matter how a teacher is scapegoated or a society is blinded by political rhetoric. Each day children are taking in our lessons.

We teach reading so that we can use the love and beauty of reading to work on our knowledge, our understanding, our ability to consider with story and with metaphorical constructs what our world is, to see new things, to communicate, to process and define, to become able to make our world a better place. To work out freedoms, peace, understanding. We read to know. We read to question. We read, therefore we are. And school brings us to those who help us reach for this. Inspiration.

We compute, do math, inquire, explore, invent, hypothesize, test, design so we can build our futures with the hope it is a better world, not only for us and our own but for the meek, the ones born to least advantaged situations. We cannot know if the medical advances, the science, the inventions can contain all of the unfairness and pain and suffering. But we can know that if we teach of the capacity for this, if we inspire it, believe it, work with this as our light, we will model it. We give hope.

And so.....I hope you know that we appreciate all you do, all you try to do, all you represent. You showed up, fought a good fight. You were here for children. Surely at the end of the day that matters. That's an artful and important kind of way of being in this world.
I saw you here on the front line. Giving a hug and maybe reading a story.

Hilarious!.......2006-12-10

Robert Fulghum just has a way of giving the most common scenarios a hilarious twist. One of my favorite stories in this book is when he remembers thinking of his mother like she was some sort of super-hero when he was young, because she pulled the gunk out of the kitchen sink trap with her BARE HANDS!

Worth Reading.......2006-11-19

This book was witty and insightful, and even though the author is a preacher, he doesn't push his religion on the reader. Very enjoyable and meaningful read. Fun and worthwhile!

Another Great One.........2006-06-22

If you've read my other reviews, you know I am a HUGE Robert Fulghum fan. He is my mentor - the reason I began writing my first book that got its first contract. This book is almost funnier and better than the one before, if that's even possible. This book inspired me and made me think, made me cry, and made me laugh. You can't ask for a better read than that!

Great Life Observations!.......2004-07-08

Robert Fulghum has a magnificent sense of humor, which contributes greatly to his skill as a writer and speaker. With his Unitarian sense of the world, he sucks us in...even when we don't realize we are being sucked in. He captivates our imaginations and emotions and much like our friend from Lake Wobagon, he makes the everyday come alive with excitement.

It's well worth your time to read this book.

Book Description

A book to raise the spirits and warm the heart. Includes the famous Kindergarten essay that was read on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

One of my all-time favorite books..........2004-07-08

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN
by Robert Fulghum is a collection of essays that reflect the author's thoughts on life, death and a whole lot of other subjects in-between.

So when I saw the 15th Anniversary Edition I naturally had to get hold of and then devour it . . . and am glad I did . . . it's GREAT!

It is also quite different . . . or as the subtitle indicates, it is "reconsidered, revised, and expanded with 25 new essays."

I liked all the new entries, but also got a kick out of revisiting the old ones . . . it was like being with friends I haven't seen before.

Fulghum is that kind of author . . . once you read him, you'll
want to get everything else he has written: IT WAS ON FIRE
WHEN I LAY DOWN ON IT, UH-OH and MAYBE (MAYBE
NOT) . . . you won't be disappointed in any of these, nor with
his latest work either.

There were several memorable passages in the 15th Edition that
I had not come across before; among them:

* "And so then what happened?"

An urgent question out of the bedtime darkness, asked by my children, when they and I were young. Just when I thought I had slam-dunked a story-ending-just when I was certain the children were safely in the arms of the sandman--a small, sleepy voice would plead, "So, then what happened?" And no matter what I replied, the plea went on, "Please, please, Daddy--tell the rest of the story."

In cranky desperation, I would resort to apocalypse: "Suddenly a
comet hit the earth and blew everything to pieces."

Silence. "What happened to the pieces?"

"It doesn't matter. Everybody died a horrible death, especially
all the little children who were not asleep." I also tried, "The father sold all the children who would not go to sleep to a passing gypsy who ground them into sausage meat. The first children to be ground up were those who would not stop asking questions."

Go ahead, shame me. But it worked. Most of the time. On reflection, I suspect such gory endings were what they really liked most. Perhaps it was a scheme to see just how far I would go--to see how crazed their father really was.

Now I am dealing with grandchildren who have the same restless
minds. I am wilier now than I used to be. To the inevitable request for more, I reply, "Only your father knows the rest of the story. Ask him to finish it when you get home."

* Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret
weapon. A happiness weapon. A Beauty Bomb. And every time a
crisis developed, we would launch one first--before we tried
anything else. It would explode high in the air--explode softly--and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth--boxes of Crayolas. And we shouldn't go cheap either--not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the word with imagination instead
of death. A child who touched one wouldn't have his hand blown off.

* I recall an old Sufi story of a good man who was granted one
wish by God. The man said he would like to go about doing good
without knowing about it. God granted his wish. And then God
decided that it was such a good idea, he would grant that wish to
all human beings.

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Fulghum, author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten, turns his inspirational ponderings to the rituals that fill and inform our daily lives, from brushing our teeth to the grand rituals responding to birth, life, and death.

Book Description

FROM BEGINNING TO END
Why "rituals"?
My thinking was set in motion by those who, knowing I was a parish minister for many years, have asked me for advice about ceremonies and celebrations. They wanted words to use at graduations, funerals, and the welcoming of children. They inquired about grace at family meals, the reaffirmation of wedding vows, and ways to heal wounds suffered in personal conflict. People requested help with the rituals of solitude, such as meditation, prayer, and contemplation. . . .
Rituals do not always involve words, occasions, officials, or an audience. Rituals are often silent, solitary, and self-contained. The most powerful rites of passage are reflective--when you look back on your life again and again, paying attention to the rivers you have crossed and the gates you have opened and walked on through, the thresholds you have passed over.
I see ritual when people sit together silently by an open fire.
Remembering.
As human beings have remembered for thousands and thousands of years.
FULGHUM

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Wonderful!.......2004-07-17

This book has so much hope, and exudes respect for human experience. In essence, rituals are spiritual and they are found all the time in the lives we lead. Until we recognize this we will be less aware of the spiritual magic of being alive each and every day. Fulghum illuminates this page by page. He has a very philosophical view of life that is quite contagious. His presentation style is much like Garrison Keillor in the audiotape of this book I listened to. Soothing, but it jolts us awake with spiritual truths time and time again. I also like his sense of humor and his accepting of life and death.

You will respect your own life more after reading this book.

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Fantastic Book!.......2002-09-21

This book is a great book to remind you of why we do certain things in life but moreso, to stretch your imagination to think of how you could bring new meaning to significant points in your life. There is an exceptional chapter on weddings. I've read and reread this book a couple of times! a great buy.

For the stories and the attitude..........2000-07-13

The only parts of my own wedding I regret are those I didn't personalize enough; I wish this book had been around back when I was doing my planning. Fulghum doesn't provide concrete suggestions, so much as great stories, illustrations of the impact of ritual on our lives (in which he stands firmly with Jossepoh Campbell) and a wonderfully outrageous attitude toward making those rituals fit us, not the other way around. You won't take away exact ideas of what to do for your own ritual, but you will get the inspiration to make your own ritual fit you as perfectly as some of the ones described fit their participants.

On another level, the book is also worth reading just for the stories. As other readers have commented, the one about the second wedding is just beautiful.

Great analysis of rituals in our lives.......2000-01-21

Easy reading and wonderful for people who do not follow the normal rituals of life's experiences. To do what one desires for oneself and not be a follower made the reader feel good. Examples of all type of rituals were easily relatable.

Read it for the stories..........2000-01-13

...and not for any insight into the role of ritual in everyday life. Robert Fulghum is a sort of Winnie the Pooh of expository writers: he is the reader's loyal friend with a heart as big as outdoors, but when it comes to organizing his thoughts and presenting them clearly, he is 'a bear of very little brain.'

He tells great anecdotes and excels at bringing a tear to your eye. This book is almost worth buying for one chapter which describes the absolutely perfect nontraditional wedding. If you aren't sniffling audibly by the end of it, you aren't human. And there are several other narratives of equal sentimentality.

On the other hand, if you want advice on how to use ritual to add richness to your daily life, or your family's life, you won't get much help here -- just encouragement.

Book Description

"Uh-oh" is more than a momentary reaction to small problems. "Uh-oh" is an attitude -- a perspective on the universe. The #1 Bestseller by the author of ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.

Customer Reviews:

Right On Robert!.......2005-07-25

Much like the late Charles Kuralt, RF shows us what is right in America by going deep into the heartland, talking about everyday things and making them seem extraordinary. Fulghum, a Unitarian minister, reasons that most people are good at heart and his writings reflect his gentle ways and his comprehensive love of humanity. I could hear him speak for hours and hours.

a very worthwhile read.......2004-04-24

First, let me say that I read this book in one day, which is a feat in itself with my short attention span. And when I was finished, I honestly felt sad that it was over. Second, I'm not one to take the time to review books online, but this is one that is worthy of all the praise I can give it. This book is fantastic. It's the best book I've read in a long while. One moment, Fulghum is making you ponder some very deep subjects, and the next, he's got you laughing those really good, healthy belly laughs that are so few and far between. His insight on so many ordinary subjects is astounding. You will find yourself relating to some of the stories and touched or delighted by the others. My mother encouraged me to read this, and I've encouraged everyone I know to read it. Get this book. It's really worth the read.

How can I describe this work?.......2004-03-20

Imagine, if you will a Sunday evening, with everybody still in their church clothes after having eaten a delicious Sunday dinner. Everyone's sort of lazily sated and they all meet on the porch to hang out for a while: they wave and smile at neighbors passing by, perhaps they bask in the evening sunset. Then, someone let's out the loudest, longest burp. Making every one burst out laughing...that's a bit how Fulghum's book on everyday observations, inspirations from happy accidents, and the many, many people he has run into is like. Some of the stories are tenderhearted like his experiencing culinary delights (Jelly Bellys in Cheerios) with a grand child or his gaining a reluctant love of a neighbor's ol' dawg. Other stories are of the making lemonade out of lemons type...a good, good cigar gets swiped by someone who perhaps appreciated it more...the bride is plagued with hiccoughs in the middle of the wedding ceremony....old VFWer's crash their pals' funeral with an anemic 10 gun salute and a stripper...all done in Fulghum's easy-does-it style. Do I like the book? Of course I do. Does it make me smile? You bet. My only problem is waiting long enough to forget all about the book and how much I love it, so that I can read it again like a 'new book' and enjoy it some more....does that sound like a Fulghum scenario to you? Anyway, get it and read it one lazy Sunday afternoon. You will thank me for the suggestion.

I fell asleep with this book clutched in my arms.......2003-02-02

Amazing...I didn't want it to end. It opened a new fronteer of book reading in my life. It changed me. This man, Fulghum, packs so much emotion into his words. How I wish I could live like him, or at least write like him. Definintely inspritional and touching and funny. I can't say it enough! Read it! Nothing out there compares to Fulghum's sensitivity about everything in life. I don't know how to say it any other way. If I had even half as much truth and insight as this author has, I would be happy.

Lighthearted and Fun.......2002-12-13

Though not nearly as terrific as his KINDERGARTEN book, Uh-Oh is a great read. Fullugham has some unique perspectives. This is a terrific book that can be savored a few pages at a time. The included essays are often funny, sometimes touching, and always enjoyable. The way the authour looks at the commonplace, and then bestows it with a sense of wonder has brought me back to Mr. Fullgham's books on a number of occassions. Read one and you'll be hooked.

Maybe (Maybe Not) (Maybe Not : Second Thoughts from a Secret Life)

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Enlightening & entertaining
If you like Robert you'll like this.
Wonderful.
If you want some funny hours reading...

Maybe (Maybe Not) (Maybe Not : Second Thoughts from a Secret Life)
Robert Fulghum
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Uh-Oh
From Beginning to End
It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It
Words I Wish I Wrote: A Collection of Writing That Inspired My Ideas
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

ASIN: 0804111154
Release Date: 1995-04-01

Book Description

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
I once began a list of the contradictory notions I hold:
Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.
Two heads are better than one.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better safe than sorry.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
You can't tell a book by its cover.
Clothes make the man.
Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
It's never too late to learn.
Never sweat the small stuff.
God is in the details.
And so on. The list goes on forever. Once I got so caught up in this kind of thinking that I wore two buttons on my smock when I was teaching art. One said, "Trust me, I'm a teacher." The other replied, "Question Authority."
[signature]
Fulghum

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2006-02-25

I love this book, along with the rest of Robert Fulghum's books. Reminds those of us who get caught up in the rat race of life, to remember what's real and beautiful. Instant stress reliever!!! Highly recommended!!! Also visit www.robertfulghum.com/index.php to read Robert Fulghum's journal. Very humerous and inspiring!

Enlightening & entertaining.......2004-12-06

I really liked Fulghum's casual, laid-back style of writing. "Maybe (Maybe Not)" was a very easy, fun, quick read. He's very optimistic and upbeat and tries to convey his outlook on life to his audience. He's got a lot of great thoughts from totally different areas of life. He only spends a couple of pages on one topic and moves on to something completely different. He's got a really good sense of humor and unlike most self-help type of books, he's not preachy in the least bit. Really enjoyable and highly recommended!

If you like Robert you'll like this........2001-10-30

If you like Robert Fulghum's other books you'll really enjoy this book. If you haven't read Robert try his first best seller 'All I needed to know I learned in Kindergarden' It's his best work and will give you an idea of how enjoyable this guy's views and stories on life are to read.

Wonderful........1999-05-02

This book was a joy to read. It was quick reading, humorous at times, thought provoking at others.

If you want some funny hours reading..........1997-12-26

This is one of the best books I have read in the last months! Many daily situations that you have with yourself are present. May be or may be not you will love it, but I am sure you will ever remeber many funny situations in your real life. Try it. It is cheap, easy for reading, good for our spiritual side...

Standing Up Against the Odds: Strategies for Raising Honest Children

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Standing Up Against the Odds: Strategies for Raising Honest Children
Robert G. Bruce , Debra Fulghum Bruce , and Ellen W. Oldacre
Manufacturer: Concordia Publishing House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0570053773

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