Sir John believed that there exists a set of rules which can make our lives more happy and successful if we lived by them. He called these rules the Laws of Life. Sir John believed that such rules could come from many sources, including ancient religious texts and scientific enquiry. He often encouraged people to think about their own rules, and pioneered the first Laws of Life Essay Contest to help school-aged children think about the laws which they want to live by.

Since 2009, the Bahamas Laws of Life Essay Contest has been funded annually by TWCF for school pupils in grades 5 – 12, and for college students age 25 and under. The competition is organized and coordinated by the Department of Education’s Writing Unit team, which works in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Committee. In 2015, the Laws of Life Essay contest received over 2,000 essays from Nassau and the family islands, which is nearly twice the amount received most years since the competition started in 2009. The full list of winners can be seen on the contest’s Facebook page.