The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, Walter Isaacson
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, Walter Isaacson
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The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

Bestseller

Author: Walter Isaacson

Narrator: Walter Isaacson, Holter Graham

Unabridged: 1 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/18/2025


Synopsis

America’s bestselling biographer reveals the origins of the most revolutionary sentence in the Declaration of Independence, the one that defines who we are as Americans—and explains how it should shape our politics today.

“Isaacson uses a jeweler’s loupe to scan what gives his snappy little book its engaging title….Isaacson skillfully teases fresh pith and resonance out of those familiar words.” —The Wall Street Journal

“A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.” —Kirkus Reviews

To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson takes readers on a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation.

Isaacson unpacks its genius, word by word, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it. Readers will gain a fresh appreciation for how it was drafted to inspire unity, equality, and the enduring promise of America. With clarity and insight, he reveals not just the power of these words but describes how, in these polarized times, we can use them to restore an appreciation for our common values.

About Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute based in Washington, DC. He has been the chairman and CEO of CNN and the editor of Time Magazine. In 2011 he wrote a biography titled “Steve Jobs”, which was based off on over forty interviews with Jobs over a two-year period up until shortly before his death. It became an international best-seller, breaking all records for sales of a biography.

Isaacson was born on May 20, 1952, in New Orleans. He is a graduate of Harvard College and of Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at “The Sunday Times” of London and then the New Orleans “Times-Picayune”. He joined “Times” in 1978 and served as a political correspondent, national editor, and editor of digital media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then president and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003.

Along with “Steve Jobs”, Isaacson has published several other books, including: “Einstein: His Life and Universe” (2007), “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” (2003) and Kissinger: A Biography” (1992), as well as coauthor of “The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made” (1986). His most recent book, “The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution” (2014) is a biographical tale of the people who invented the computer, Internet and the other great innovations of the digital age. It became a New York Times bestseller.

Isaacson has been awarded many accolades of the years, including in 2012, when he was selected as one of the Time 100, the magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jason on November 23, 2025

This felt like reading a hymnal. You know most of the words but it is nice to hear them again. Walter Isaacson's book is about the second sentence of the Declaration if Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with......more

Goodreads review by Dan on October 11, 2025

The greatest sentence ever written is a beautiful book explaining just that. One that connects the origins of writing it to where we are now with ease while also providing foundational information and context for the document. From Franklin’s conversations with Hume, to Jefferson’s convictions and c......more

Goodreads review by Rylie on November 30, 2025

Well, I really enjoyed this. It’s a very quick read, breaking down the second section of the Declaration of Independence (“we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal…”) into small pieces. It is incredible how one document, and really one sentence with that document, set t......more

Goodreads review by Laura on November 30, 2025

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." It's one of the most well-known sentences in American history and in this short work by......more

Goodreads review by taylor on November 27, 2025

This slim book zeroes in on one iconic sentence from the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The bo......more