Imagine being 98 years old and walking into a first-grade classroom not as a guest, but as a student. Most people that age are looking back, but George Dawson was looking at a chalkboard. He lived through the tail end of the 19th century, survived the Jim Crow South, and spent nearly a century laboring under the sun without ever being able to read a newspaper or sign his own name. Then, at an age when most stories are long finished, he decided to start a new chapter.
Life Is So Good isn't just a memoir; it’s a manual on how to be human.
Written with schoolteacher Richard Glaubman, the book captures a voice that is so incredibly rare in our modern, hyper-caffeinated world. It’s the voice of a man who saw the very worst of humanity—including the lynching of a close friend—and somehow decided that the world was still a beautiful place. George didn't have a degree. He didn't have a 401(k). He had a philosophy that was forged in the dirt of Texas and the steel of the fishing boats in the Gulf. He believed that life was, quite literally, good.
The Man Who Waited 98 Years to Read
George Dawson was born in 1898 in Marshall, Texas. Think about that date for a second. William McKinley was President. The Spanish-American War was breaking out. George was the grandson of enslaved people. For him, "education" wasn't a right; it was a luxury his family couldn't afford because they needed his hands in the field. He started working at age four. Four. By the time he was a teenager, he was doing the work of a grown man, traveling the country, hopping freight trains, and seeing a version of America that was violent, segregated, and deeply difficult.
And yet, George never felt sorry for himself.
He spent his life as a laborer. He broke horses. He worked on levees. He laid railroad tracks. Throughout all of it, he carried a secret: he was illiterate. He navigated the world by memory and by "reading" signs based on their shapes and colors. It worked for 98 years. But when a literacy volunteer knocked on his door in 1996, something clicked. He didn't say he was too old. He grabbed his coat and went to school.
Why Life Is So Good Still Matters
We live in an era of "optimization." We’re obsessed with productivity hacks, life-extension protocols, and the next big thing. George Dawson didn't care about any of that. He cared about the texture of the day. In the book Life Is So Good, he talks about how he never worried. Not once.
"I don't worry about nothing," he’d say. That sounds like a cliché until you realize he lived through the Great Depression. He saw friends murdered. He worked jobs that would break a modern person in twenty minutes. His lack of worry wasn't ignorance; it was a conscious, disciplined choice.
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Resilience Without the Buzzwords
Modern psychology talks a lot about "grit." George Dawson just called it "getting up in the morning." One of the most striking things about his narrative is the lack of bitterness. He describes the racism he faced with a flat, journalistic tone. He doesn't sugarcoat it, but he refuses to let it rot his soul. He understood that resentment is a poison you drink yourself, hoping the other person dies.
He didn't have time for poison. He had things to do.
- He learned to write his name at 98.
- He mastered the alphabet while his peers were in nursing homes.
- He became a local celebrity and then a national inspiration.
- He lived to be 103, passing away in 2001.
Honestly, it’s kinda staggering when you think about the timeline. He saw the transition from horse-and-buggy to the internet. He saw the world change entirely, yet his core principles—hard work, honesty, and kindness—remained fixed points.
The Richard Glaubman Connection
The book wouldn't exist without Richard Glaubman. Richard was a schoolteacher from Washington state who heard about George and traveled to Texas to meet him. What started as a curiosity turned into a multi-year friendship. Richard realized that George’s life wasn't just a "feel-good" news segment; it was a profound philosophical text.
Glaubman’s role was to be the scribe. He captured George’s cadence. If you’ve read the book, you know it feels like sitting on a porch with a glass of sweet tea, listening to a grandfather who has seen it all. There’s no academic jargon. There’s no "in today's landscape" nonsense. It’s just raw, unfiltered wisdom.
A Different Kind of Success
We usually define success by what we accumulate. George defined it by what he could appreciate. He talked about how good the water tasted after a long day of work. He talked about the pride of a straight furrow in a field. This is the "lifestyle" advice we actually need. It’s about the sensory experience of being alive.
When George finally learned to read, he started with the Bible. But he also loved reading the newspaper. For the first time in nearly a century, he could see what was happening in the world through his own eyes, not through the filters of others. That’s true power.
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Practical Lessons from the Life of George Dawson
If you're feeling overwhelmed or like you've "missed the boat" on something, George is your guy. Here’s the reality: most of our excuses are garbage. We say we don't have time, or we're too old, or the system is rigged. The system was rigged against George Dawson in ways we can barely imagine, and he still found a way to thrive.
Stop Making Excuses for Learning
If a man born in 1898 can learn to read in 1996, you can learn Python, or Italian, or how to fix a leaky faucet. The barrier isn't your brain; it's your ego. George had to sit in a room with children and admit he didn't know the alphabet. He had to be humble. Most of us are too afraid of looking stupid to ever become smart.
The Art of Not Worrying
George’s "no-worry" policy is legendary. It wasn't about being passive. It was about focusing entirely on what was in front of him. He believed that if you did your best today, tomorrow would take care of itself. It’s basic. It’s hard. It’s effective.
Longevity is About Attitude
George lived to 103. He ate basic food—fish, vegetables, bread. He walked everywhere. But his real secret to long life seemed to be his lack of stress. He didn't carry the weight of the past. He remembered it, sure, but he didn't carry it like a backpack full of rocks.
The Legacy of a Life Well Lived
George Dawson became a bit of a superstar after the book came out. He was on Oprah. He had people flying from all over the world just to shake his hand. But he didn't change. He still lived in his modest house. He still valued his privacy and his routine.
There’s a beautiful moment in the book where he reflects on the title itself. He truly believed life was good, not because it was easy, but because it was a gift. Every morning was a "good morning" because he woke up to see it.
We often complicate happiness. We think it’s a destination we reach once we get the promotion or the house or the partner. George shows us that happiness is more like a muscle. You build it by choosing to see the value in your work and the people around you, regardless of the circumstances.
Actionable Insights from George Dawson’s Philosophy
If you want to apply the "Life Is So Good" mindset to your own life, start with these shifts:
- Lower your ego. Be willing to be the "dumbest" person in the room to learn something new. Age is an irrelevant metric when it comes to curiosity.
- Audit your worries. Ask yourself: "Will this matter in five minutes? Five months? Five years?" George focused on the "five years" and realized most things didn't make the cut.
- Physical movement as a requirement. George worked hard physically well into his 90s. We aren't meant to be sedentary. Find a way to use your body that feels like a celebration, not a chore.
- Read more than you scroll. George fought for the right to read. Don't waste that right on "doomscrolling" through negative news. Read something that builds your character.
- Practice radical patience. George waited 98 years for literacy. We get frustrated if a website takes three seconds to load. Slow down. The best things take time.
George Dawson passed away in 2001, but his voice is still here. You can find it in the pages of his book, and you can find it in the mirror if you decide to stop complaining and start learning. He didn't just leave behind a story; he left a blueprint for a life without regrets.
Next time things feel heavy, remember the man who started school at 98. He wasn't special because of his DNA; he was special because of his spirit. Life is good. You just have to be willing to see it.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Read the book: Pick up a physical copy of Life Is So Good. Don't just read the summary; experience the narrative voice of George Dawson directly.
- Identify one "late" goal: Write down one thing you’ve told yourself you’re "too old" to start. Sign up for a beginner class in that subject this week.
- Morning Audit: Tomorrow morning, follow George's lead. Before checking your phone, spend two minutes acknowledging one thing about your life that is genuinely "good," no matter how small.