What Does It Mean to Be Human?

"At once humble and humane, these magnificent witnesses to human promise lift the heart, challenge the mind, and kindle hope."—Forrest Church, author of Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday

"In the past, most people believed that to be human meant to be obedient, and to follow the traditions of their occupation, their sex, and their age. But today, more and more of us believe that each individual is different, that women can contribute to civilization as much as men, that curiosity is more admirable than imitation, and respect more desirable than power. So to be human now increasingly means to search throughout one's life, to never quite reach the goal one sets for oneself, to discover where one wants to go by exchanging ideas with others, so that one is constantly evolving and learning, and deriving one's pleasure from helping others. This book lets us into the hearts and minds of a great variety of individuals, and by so doing, will help enhance our view of what we can make of our lives."—Theodore Zeldin, author of An Intimate History of Humanity and Conversation