What the Declaration of Independence Really Means

What America's Founders Were Really Willing to Pay

In this powerful presentation, Earl Nightingale brings the Declaration of Independence to life — conveying not just its words, but the weight of what the men who signed it were truly willing to sacrifice. Informative, deeply moving, and something every American should hear.

Earl Nightingale grew up during the Depression, hungry for knowledge and driven by a single question he pursued from boyhood: "How can a person, starting from scratch, with no particular advantage, reach the goals that matter most — and by doing so, make a major contribution to others?" That question propelled him to become one of the world's foremost authorities on success and human potential.

His journey began in the Marine Corps, where he volunteered as a radio announcer — and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor as one of the few men aboard the battleship Arizona to make it out alive. After the war he built a celebrated career in network radio, hosting his own daily commentary program on WGN in Chicago. By 1957 he had become successful enough to retire at age 35.

At his sales team's urging, he recorded his philosophy of success before leaving on an extended vacation. That recording became The Strangest Secret — the first spoken-word program ever to earn a Gold Record, with over one million copies sold. He later partnered with Lloyd Conant to build Nightingale-Conant, the company that grew into the world's leading publisher of personal development audio programs.

When Earl Nightingale died on March 28, 1989, Paul Harvey announced it on his radio program with these words: "The sonorous voice of the nightingale was stilled." His consuming passion, in the words of those who knew him best, was this: he never let a day go by without learning something new — and passing it on to others.