The ideas and culture of Ancient Greece, which had been called Hellenism from before the time of Christ, exerted a dominant influence on Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s life and work.  If Coubertin were alive today, he would have said that Hellenism was the foundation of modern humanism.  In his view, Hellenism offered a faith rooted in the immediacy of this life—not in the afterlife as the dominant religions did.  He believed that Hellenism, with its emphasis on the development of the whole human being, physically, mentally and emotionally, would improve the quality of life in our world—and the Olympic Games were an outgrowth of that belief.

As his influence waned in the Olympic world, Baron Pierre de Coubertin continued to correspond privately and openly with friends near and far.  In April of 1934, forty years after he launched the modern Olympic Games, he wrote an open letter To My Hellenic Friends, which can be found in the IOC Archives and in the publication, Chosen Texts.  As today’s brief quote indicates, he wanted the Greeks to know he had not lost faith in the power of their ancient philosophy.