America's Best

In this group of profiles, the third in TIME's series, we honor people who sustain the life of the mind, body and spirit. That's a category broad enough to include, among other job titles, a teacher, a social critic, a couple of athletes, a feminist writer and a chef. (Hey, just try to keep your spirits up after a bad meal!) There's even an advice columnist and an interior designer. The life of the mind, after all, begins somewhere in the realm of common sense, and the spirit likes a comfortable place to kick back. Think of most of them as elevated examples of the service industry, people who see to your intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic needs. And best of all, you don't even have to tip them.