All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things

All I Really Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, explores the importance of simplicity, kindness, and empathy offering life lessons through seemingly ordinary tales. Essays such as “Angels,” “Vacuums,” and “Mother Teresa” prominently illustrate these virtues and how they manifest in various aspects of life, thus revealing their transformative power.

In “Angels,” Fulghum discusses the life of Eli Angel, a man for whom he had great respect. He was, Fulghum writes,

a generous man, he was active in helping other immigrants settle into their adopted country. His belief was that what good a man does comes back to him. When he died, the synagogue was filled to overflowing. They called him a tzaddik—a righteous man, worthy of respect (21).

Through the life and death of Eli Angel, Fulghum illustrates how simple acts of kindness and empathy, such as aiding others in need, garner deep appreciation and remembrance. Fulghum effectively uses Angel’s story as a parable for the virtues of a well-lived life, emphasizing that the echoes of one’s good deeds can resonate far beyond their immediate effects, thereby cultivating a legacy of love.

In “Vacuums,” Fulghum engages in a conversation with an old friend, a vacuum salesperson who himself prefers to use manual, old-fashioned tools.