Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson, 25th Anniversary Edition
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A special 25th anniversary edition of the beloved book that has changed millions of lives with the story of an unforgettable friendship, the timeless wisdom of older generations, and healing lessons on loss and grief—featuring a new afterword by the author
“A wonderful book, a story of the heart told by a writer with soul.”—Los Angeles Times
“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.
For Mitch Albom, that person was his college professor Morrie Schwartz.
Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?
Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. “The truth is, Mitch,” he said, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world.
“A wonderful book, a story of the heart told by a writer with soul.”—Los Angeles Times
“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.
For Mitch Albom, that person was his college professor Morrie Schwartz.
Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?
Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. “The truth is, Mitch,” he said, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
There’s really no reason why Tuesdays with Morrie is my first book on this website that I've reviewed other than the fact that I had just finished it when I finally acted on my compulsion to create a review blog! Morrie Schwartz, once an esteemed sociology professor at Brandeis University, is a man of great eloquence and pithiness in a time when most of us would probably lose our wits. He allows himself ample time for reflection, maintaining the sharpenss of his mind as he loses control of his body as he suffers from ALS, a chronic debilitating disease. Every Tuesday for fourteen weeks or so, Mitch Albom visits his favorite professor, resurrecting his promise to stay in touch as he had vowed to do long before on his college graduation. There’s many lessons Morrie has to give; as a reader, you could sense the overwhelming duty Schwartz feels he has to take on to teach the living how to live, even as a dying man. Although Albom’s and Schwartz’s conversations cover many different topic throughout the book, an overarching theme is acceptance.
“The truth is…once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Morrie urges us to be acceptant of death, of our potential, of our faults, of the passage of time, and of ourselves. Albom is fairly direct as you would expect of a man whose primary background was sports journalism. Often times, he’s too preoccupied with the just the facts, that he leaves little room for introspection. Also, Albom’s own background story also is sparsely touched upon even though Morrie’s words of wisdom permeate Albom the greatest. Overall, however, as readers, we’re positioned to simultaneously be sympathetic to Morrie’s position, and be in awe of him. His allegory about the waves is one I’ll remember forever:
“‘The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air—until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
‘My God, this is terrible,’ the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’
Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’
The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’
The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.’”
“The truth is…once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Morrie urges us to be acceptant of death, of our potential, of our faults, of the passage of time, and of ourselves. Albom is fairly direct as you would expect of a man whose primary background was sports journalism. Often times, he’s too preoccupied with the just the facts, that he leaves little room for introspection. Also, Albom’s own background story also is sparsely touched upon even though Morrie’s words of wisdom permeate Albom the greatest. Overall, however, as readers, we’re positioned to simultaneously be sympathetic to Morrie’s position, and be in awe of him. His allegory about the waves is one I’ll remember forever:
“‘The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air—until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
‘My God, this is terrible,’ the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’
Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’
The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’
The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.’”
A memoir rather than a traditional biography, but nonetheless a great story about an amazing man. I read this when I was in college over 20 years ago and felt compelled to revisit Morrie. Mitch Albom is a great story teller and the way he captures Morrie’s warmth and wisdom makes it feel like you’re sitting in the room with them. Book #29 in 2025
Oh my God, I cried a lot with this one. It’s a short but emotionally charged reading. This book gave me a recourse in the appreciation of life, a true appreciation. Thank you Mitch for following your gut and connecting with your old professor and having the wherewithal to record your days with him. This book, Morrie’s lessons, will stay with me tucked in a little nook in my heart always.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.