All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Twenty-fiveyearsago,RobertFulghumpublishedasimplecredo—acredothatbecamethephenomenal#1NewYorkTimesbestsellerAllIReallyNeedtoKnowILearnedinKindergarten.Today,afterbeingembracedaroundtheworldandsellingmorethansevenmillioncopies,Fulghum’sbookretainsthepotencyofacommonthoughnolessrelevantpieceofwisdom:thatthemostbasicaspectsoflifebearitsmostimportantopportunities.HereFulghumengagesuswithmusingsonlife,death,love,pain,joy,sorrow,andthebestchicken-friedsteakinthecontinentalUnitedStates.ThelittleseedintheStyrofoamcupoffersareminderaboutourownmortalityandthedelicatenatureoflife...aspiderwhocatches(andloses)afull-grownwomaninitswebonefinemorningteachesusaboutsurvivingcatastrophe...thelovestoryofJean-FrancoisPilatreandhishot-airballoonremindsustobebraveandunafraidto“fly”...lifelessonshiddeninthelaundrypile...magicalqualitiesfoundinaboxofcrayons...hide-and-seekvs.sardines—andhowthesegamesrelatetothenatureofGod.AllIReallyNeedtoKnowILearnedinKindergartenisbrimmingwiththeverystuffoflifeandthesignificancefoundinthesmallestdetails.Intheeditionssincethefirstpublicationofthisbook,RobertFulghumhashadsometimetoponder,toreevaluate,andtoreconsider,addingfreshthoughtsonclassictopicsincluding,aftertwenty-fiveyears,ashortnewIntroduction.Perhapsintoday’schaotic,morechallengingworld,theseessaysonlifewillresonateevenmoredeeply—asreadersdiscoverhowuniversalinsightscanbefoundinordinaryevents.PraiseforAllIReallyNeedtoKnowILearnedinKindergarten“Ahealthyantidotetothehorrorsthatpummelusinthisdiceyage.”—BaltimoreSun“Withinsimplicityliesthesublime.”—SanFranciscoChronicle“Itisinterestinghowmuchofitappliesnotonlytoindividuals,grownorsmall,buteventonations.”—NewYorkDailyNews“AsuniversalasfreshairandinvigoratingasthefragranceofaDouglasfir.”—LosAngelesTimes,