H. Jackson Brown Jr.

In 1991, a small book of reminders written for a son leaving for college found a much larger audience. Horace Jackson Brown Jr., born in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 14, 1940, became best known for Life’s Little Instruction Book, a collection of 511 suggestions about “how to live a happy and rewarding life.” What began as a personal going-away present for his college-bound son, Adam, grew into one of the most widely shared inspirational books of its time.

Brown’s life and work were closely tied to Nashville. He graduated from Emory University in 1962 and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, which honored him in 1991 as a “Significant Sig,” an award given to notable members. Before he became an author, he worked as the creative director of an advertising agency in Nashville. That earlier career helps explain, at least in part, the clean shape of his writing: brief lines, memorable turns, and advice that could be carried in the mind after a single reading.

His first books drew directly from family wisdom. A Father’s Book of Wisdom, published in 1988, was quickly followed by P.S. I Love You in 1990, a collection of sayings and observations from his father and mother, respectively. The latter includes a famous line ending with “Explore. Dream. Discover.”, often misattributed to Mark Twain. Brown’s gift was not in writing long arguments, but in arranging practical observations so they felt both familiar and freshly useful.

Life’s Little Instruction Book, published in 1991, turned that approach into a worldwide success. It spent more than two years on the New York Times Best Seller list, including more than a year at number one. It was also the first book ever to hold the number one spot on that list in both paperback and hardback formats at the same time. Its sequel, Life’s Little Instruction Book: Volume 2, also reached the New York Times Best Seller list in 1993. Brown went on to publish and co-author many other titles, including Live and Learn and Pass It On, written with his ex-wife Rosemary C. Brown, which also became a New York Times Best Seller.

The reach of Brown’s books extended far beyond bookstore shelves. They were translated into 35 languages and inspired calendars, posters, apparel items, daily journals, greeting cards, audiocassettes, screensavers, and even fortune cookies. He continued publishing collections of advice, affection, memory, and regional feeling, including As Southern As It Gets: 1,071 Reasons to Never Leave the South in 2017. Brown died on November 30, 2021, at the age of 81, at his residence in Nashville.

His most memorable lines tend to be simple, direct, and action-minded: “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” That is why his words still travel well. They do not ask readers to admire the author. They ask them to be kinder, braver, more enthusiastic, more attentive to the small choices that make up an ordinary day.