The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man

How does one thrive through a maelstrom of change? By standing on ground that is permanent.

Work hard. Spread joy. Take a chance. Enjoy wonder.

no matter how hard life may be, the way we ought to live becomes a distillate of few words. The essentials are familiar not because they are trite, but because they are true.

What we face may be complicated, but what we do about it is simple. “Do the right thing,” Laura White told her son. “Do unto others,” a teacher told his disciples, “as you would have them do unto you.”

He wrote about trusting yourself enough to take risks. About opening yourself to opportunity and being ready to seize it. About finding beauty in the world: the thrumming rain, the ephemeral rainbow, the glow of sunrise. Be soft sometimes. Cry when you need to. Make some mistakes. Learn from them.

Make and keep friends. Tell loved ones how you feel. Forgive and seek forgiveness. Feel deeply. Observe miracles. Make them happen.

Charlie was a man of action. He wrote in definitive commands. Think freely. That’s where he started, boldly. Practice patience. Smile often. Savor special moments.

“Nobody’s going to do it for you. You’ve got to do your own paddling. So always keep your daubers up—no matter what.”

Charlie went on. “I always say: This will pass.” Whatever the challenge, “you’ve got to work through it, and hold the line, and don’t fall apart. Stick in there. There’s no future in negativism.”