A Pound of Butter (Honesty)

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the
baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right
amount, which he wasn’t. Angry about this, he took the farmer to court.

Short Inspirational stories are powerful reads;

The great thing about them is that they’re so easy to digest, and there’s
always a moral at the end of the story.

Whether they’re true stories or not is another thing, as many of them are
legends supposedly hundreds of years old.

However, the stories that I’m talking about are so powerful and
inspirational that many of them really do get you thinking and even
leave you speechless at times.

Table of Contents

The 10 Best Inspirational Short Stories

I’ve been reading plenty of these short stories in the past couple of weeks
and found the lessons behind them truly wonderful. So I’ve decided to
write out this article highlighting the 10 most inspirational short
stories I’ve heard.

Next to the subheadings, in brackets, I’ve put what the story’s lesson is all
about, with a short description of the moral of the story at the end of each
section.

10. The Elephant Rope (Belief)

A gentleman was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that
the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by the use of chains.

All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small
piece of rope tied to one of their legs.

As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to

why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and
escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t
try to at all.

Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why
the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.

The trainer replied;

“when they are very young and much smaller we use the same
size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them.
As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot
break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they
never try to break free.”

The only reason that the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping
from the camp was that over time they adopted the belief that it just
wasn’t possible.

Moral of the story:

No matter how much the world tries to hold you back, always continue
with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible. Believing you
can become successful is the most important step in actually achieving it.

9. Thinking Out of the Box (Creative Thinking)

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner

owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very
old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business
owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe

out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only
wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag,
one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a
pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would
then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the
daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-

shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.

Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up
two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag.

He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.
The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

1. Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.

2. Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for
cheating.

3. Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and
sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’
dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark;

“Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for
the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”

The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark
didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the
daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

Moral of the story:

It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation throughout of the

box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to
pick from.

8. The Group of Frogs (Encouragement)

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into
a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how
deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and
they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit.

Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of the pit were still
saying that they should just give up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what the others were saying and
he gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as
hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain
and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the
other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were
encouraging him the entire time.

Moral of the story:

People’s words can have a big effect on other’s lives. Think about what
you say before it comes out of your mouth. It might just be the difference
between life and death.

7. A Pound of Butter (Honesty)

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the
baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right
amount, which he wasn’t. Angry about this, he took the farmer to court.

The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure to weight the
butter. The farmer replied, “Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper
measure, but I do have a scale.”

The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”

The farmer replied;

“Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from
me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day
when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give
him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the
baker.”

Short Inspirational stories are powerful reads;

The great thing about them is that they’re so easy to digest, and there’s
always a moral at the end of the story.

Whether they’re true stories or not is another thing, as many of them are
legends supposedly hundreds of years old.

However, the stories that I’m talking about are so powerful and
inspirational that many of them really do get you thinking and even
leave you speechless at times.

Table of Contents

The 10 Best Inspirational Short Stories

I’ve been reading plenty of these short stories in the past couple of weeks
and found the lessons behind them truly wonderful. So I’ve decided to
write out this article highlighting the 10 most inspirational short
stories I’ve heard.

Next to the subheadings, in brackets, I’ve put what the story’s lesson is all
about, with a short description of the moral of the story at the end of each
section.
10. The Elephant Rope (Belief)

A gentleman was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that

the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by the use of chains.

All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small
piece of rope tied to one of their legs.

As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to

why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and
escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t
try to at all.

Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why
the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.

The trainer replied;

“when they are very young and much smaller we use the same
size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them.
As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot
break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they
never try to break free.”

The only reason that the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping
from the camp was that over time they adopted the belief that it just
wasn’t possible.
Moral of the story:

No matter how much the world tries to hold you back, always continue
with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible. Believing you
can become successful is the most important step in actually achieving it.

9. Thinking Out of the Box (Creative Thinking)

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner

owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very
old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business
owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe

out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only
wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag,
one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a
pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would
then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the
daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-

shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.
Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up
two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag.

He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.

The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

1. Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.

2. Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for
cheating.

3. Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and
sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’
dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark;

“Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for
the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”

The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark
didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the
daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

Moral of the story:

It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation throughout of the

box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to
pick from.

8. The Group of Frogs (Encouragement)

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into
a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how
deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and
they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit.

Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of the pit were still
saying that they should just give up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what the others were saying and
he gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as
hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain
and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the
other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were
encouraging him the entire time.

Moral of the story:

People’s words can have a big effect on other’s lives. Think about what
you say before it comes out of your mouth. It might just be the difference
between life and death.

7. A Pound of Butter (Honesty)

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the
baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right
amount, which he wasn’t. Angry about this, he took the farmer to court.

The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure to weight the
butter. The farmer replied, “Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper
measure, but I do have a scale.”

The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”

The farmer replied;

“Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from
me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day
when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give
him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the
baker.”

Moral of the story:

In life, you get what you give. Don’t try and cheat others.