Thoughts on Excellence Free E-Newsletter Series
Volume 24, Issue No. 3
November 15, 2025
By Dan Coughlin
In the book, History Matters, David McCullough, said this regarding the myths about George Washington, “They’re not literally true, but they get to the truth about him.”
I think that’s a great way to explain myths from ancient times to today. Myths are not literally true, but they get to the truth.”
Here are some of my favorite books that describe or demonstrate mythology.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell is the premier writer on mythology that I have ever studied. He invested the vast majority of his adult life studying and teaching about mythology. From that research, he described an overarching idea that he called The Hero’s Journey.
In essence, the hero’s journey is the story of being called to some great adventure or purpose, refusing the call at first and then embracing the call, encountering great obstacles, learning valuable insights, and ultimately returning home and contributing great value.
This idea has been embraced in many films from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Star Wars to films and tv shows of today like Sullivan’s Crossing.
I found this explanation to be of great value in different times of my own life. Seeing the truths contained within his explanation helped me to keep going, and to see different stages of my life as noble adventures, even when they completely failed.
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
This book was made from a series of interviews shortly before he died where Campbell was able to explain nuances within mythology to Bill Moyers.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.”
“We are so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive.”
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us”.
In reading his work, I could go five pages and have no idea what he was talking about, and then on the sixth page there would be a golden nugget waiting for me.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
I read this book in 6th grade, and in some ways, this wildly made-up story of hobbits and flying dragons and orcs has stayed with me my whole life. The idea of persevering with a purpose through vast dangers and obstacles is a strong theme to hold onto when reality hits. The purpose has to be greater than the pain or it becomes far too easy to just stop completely.
Frodo Baggins, a made-up character, took on the role of a valuable role model very early in my life. He simply keeps on keeping on. And in the end his greatest power comes from giving up his greatest power.
This trilogy teaches so many great lessons, not the least of which is that what seems to be the most valuable thing in our life can actually be hurting us far more than helping us, and we have to let it go.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Many great novels are mythology. Their stories are not entirely true, but they teach truths.
This was a book I read in 7th grade. The characters seemed so real, but what was really real were the truths this book conveyed:
Even though justice doesn’t always happen, we nonetheless need to keep working for justice.
People are not always what they appear to be, and true heroes can emerge when we least expect them.
We should try to help those who are not able to help themselves.
Conclusion
The stories you tell don’t have to be exactly true as long as they convey real truths. Storytelling is one of your most powerful tools to impact the lives of other people. Stories bring values and virtues to life in ways that people never forget. Mythology has been in existence for thousands of years, and it will always be a part of the fabric of our lives.
As Joseph Campbell said, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
Republishing Articles
My newsletters, Thoughts on Excellence, have been republished in approximately 40 trade magazines, on-line publications, and internal publications for businesses, universities, and not-for-profit organizations over the past 20+ years. If you would like to republish all or part of my monthly articles, please send me an e-mail at dan@thecoughlincompany.com with the name of the article you want in the subject heading. I will send you the article in a word document.