[8] Many of Bronner's references came from Jewish and Christian sources, such as the Shema and the Beatitudes; others from writers such as Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Paine.

"[9] The labels became famous for their idiosyncratic style, including hyphens to join long strings of words and the liberal use of exclamation marks.

[10] In 1946, while promoting his "Moral ABC" at the University of Chicago, Bronner was arrested for refusing to leave the dean's office, despite the fact he was invited to the campus to lecture by a local student group, and then was committed to the Elgin Mental Health Center, a mental hospital in Elgin, Illinois, from which he escaped after shock treatments.

Over time Bronner started a family and eventually settled in Escondido, California, where his soap-making operation grew into a small factory.

[12][13] His life was the subject of a 2007 documentary film, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, which premiered on the Sundance TV channel, on 3 July 2007.