In Loving Memory
Sidney B. Simon
His Life and Legacy
Educator. Author. Humanist. The man who taught the world that the questions matter more than the answers.
Who He Was
A generous spirit, a provocateur in the best sense
Sidney B. Simon was an educator, author, and humanist who pioneered the Values Clarification movement in the early 1970s. He believed that helping people identify what they truly valued was the key to living a meaningful, authentic life.
He was a professor, a storyteller, a provocateur in the best sense, and a profoundly generous spirit.
His Life’s Work
Values Clarification
Values Clarification is a process — not a set of answers, but a set of questions — that helps people discover what they truly believe and care about. Sidney brought this to classrooms, therapy rooms, and conference halls around the world.
His approach was revolutionary: instead of teaching values, he helped people find their own.
Books & Writings
Words that reached millions
Sidney authored and co-authored numerous books on values, including the landmark “Values Clarification” (with Howard Kirschenbaum and Merrill Harmin). His books reached millions of readers and changed how educators, therapists, and individuals think about personal values.
Workshops & World Impact
A room he could transform
Sidney led workshops across the globe, reaching educators, counselors, students, and seekers of all kinds. His workshops were known for being transformative, warm, and often joyful — participants left knowing themselves better.
“You are the expert on your own life. Values Clarification simply helps you remember that.”
Sidney B. Simon
Legacy
A life well lived, still teaching
Sidney’s influence lives on in education, psychology, and the countless lives he touched. Every teacher who asks a better question, every counselor who trusts a person to know themselves, every reader who paused to consider what truly matters — they carry a piece of his work forward.
His greatest gift was helping people believe they already held the answers.
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