Laws of Life | Character.org

Laws of Life Writing Program

Made possible by a grant from The School for Ethical Education

The Board and Staff at Character.org congratulate the hundreds of students who submitted to us their Law of Life essay!

The Laws of Life writing program encourages middle school and high school students to reflect and write about a core value that means the most to them – and why.

A group of distinguished judges read each essay and let us know which five (5) essays were the most compelling within each of these 4 categories:

Middle Schools

United States

Nations outside the U.S.

High Schools

United States

Nations outside the U.S.

We then asked another group of judges to select
5 essays to represent the most compelling essays worldwide.

Want to feel inspired?

Read each of these uplifting, heartfelt essays!

The 5 Most Compelling Essays

David Alexandru Bortea

6th Grade
ICHB Colentina
Romania

“I chose to talk about friendship as a basic value of life because I play performance football and I saw how important is this relationship in my team….Even though we are different, we have become friends because of sport….A friend is kept in three ways: honoring him in the presence, praising him in the absence, and helping him when needed. I believe that friendship is one of the values of life that we must enjoy.”

Click here to read David’s Law of Life essay: Friendship Means Honoring, Praising and Helping

Emily Morris

9th Grade
Pen Argyl High School
Pennsylvania

“Emily…You inspire me so much! I want to be just like you one day, the best soccer player in the whole world. I am going to play and make you proud.” Wow, I did not expect her to say something as sweet as she did. I inspired her? To think that someone strives to be like me one day makes my heart dance.”

Click here to read Emily’s Law of Life essay: Inspiration – Leading Others to Achieve Their Dreams

Ariana Vega

6th Grade
Imagine – Plantation
Florida

“Choosing forgiveness doesn’t mean the wounds will be demolished…it is solely the start of an emotional healing operation through letting go of negative emotions..recognizing forgiveness is an act of self-love…a gift to oneself.”

Click here to read Ariana’s Law of Life essay: The Mighty Choice of Forgiveness

Liza Gilca

10th Grade
International School of Bucharest
Romania

“Empathy is what taught me how to be human. Because without this union and understanding of others, I’d be a shell of a human living among others, only physically, never emotionally.”

Click here to read Liza’s Law of Life essay: Empathy Makes Us Human

Emilee Horton

6th Grade
Oneonta Middle School
Alabama

“Grace is a law of life…by the grace of God, there go you and I… social grace is being courteous of others, having polite manners…
Physical grace is the way someone moves in a controlled, poised way…As a law of life, the part of grace that means the most to be is being humble.”

Click here to read Emilee’s Law of Life essay: By the Grace of God, There Go You and I