Words have power. Moral stories with lessons are powerful. And we all love a good story, right? After an exhausting day, a feel-good story might just be the thing you need to lift your spirits.
If you’re seeking motivation, or just want to be reminded about the little joys and pleasures of life, these moral stories in English, with the right mix of enjoyment and learning, will surely entertain and inspire you.
5 Inspiring Moral Stories For Adults
Moral Story 1: You Make All The Difference
There’s a park close to my house, with a small lake in one corner that’s home to many aquatic creatures. Every Sunday morning, I go jogging in this park. As I circle the lake, I notice an elderly woman sitting by the water with a metal cage beside her.
Today, my curiosity made me stop and approach her.
As I took a closer look, I saw that the cage was actually a small metal trap, and there were a few turtles walking around the trap, unharmed. The lady took one of the turtles in her hands and gently scrubbed the shell with a sponge brush.
“Good morning”, I said. ” I come here for jogging every Sunday morning and I see you sitting here by the lake. Please don’t mind my inquisitiveness, but I really want to know what you’re doing to the turtles.”
The lady smiled and said, “I am cleaning the turtle’s shell. Turtles accumulate algae and other scum on their shells, which weighs them down and hampers their swimming abilities. It also reduces their ability to absorb heat. Over time, their shells become weak and corrode away.”
“Oh wow! That’s really thoughtful of you!”, I exclaimed.
She continued, “Every Sunday morning, I spend a couple of hours by the lake to relax and help out these little guys stay clean. Strange as it sounds, this is my little way to make a difference in the world.”
I bit my lip and said, “But all freshwater turtles have algae and other scum on their shells. They live with that their whole lives, don’t they?”
“Yes, sadly, they can’t help it,” she replied.
I wasn’t convinced. “I appreciate your kind efforts, but don’t you think your time could be better utilized? I mean, all over the world freshwater turtles are living like this, with scum on their shells. I doubt there are kind people like you helping them stay clean. So if 99% turtles are living this way, then no offense, but are your efforts really making an impact?”
The lady laughed out loud. She went back to cleaning the last morsel of algae from the turtle on her lap, then looked up at me and said,
“Dear, if this little one could speak, he’d gladly tell you that my care towards him makes a big difference in the world.”
Moral of the story:
Every little act of kindness counts. Each person can make a difference and change the world in their own way.
Our little acts of kindness contribute towards the betterment of the world. Of course, a single deed can’t change the world immediately, but it sends ripples into the world. Good deeds resonate and give hope.
With the belief that each one of us is capable of doing much good to the world, we should make each day count. All you need is intent and of course, a little courage.
Moral Story 2: An Old Village Man
Once upon a time, there lived an old man in a village whom everyone avoided. He was the face of unhappiness. He was gloomy, bitter, and always complaining. He felt that his life was full of misfortunes.
People avoided him because his unhappiness was contagious. The longer he lived, the more bitter he became and his words were pure poison. Others almost felt guilty to be happy in his presence.
But as he turned eighty years old, something unimaginable happened. Word spread that,
“An old man is no longer sad or complaining. He is happy. He smiles. His face looks fresh and peaceful.”
The entire village approached the old man.
Villager: What happened that you changed?
Old man:
Nothing much. Just that for eighty years I chased happiness and it eluded me. So I decided I will live without happiness. Instead, I tried to enjoy my life. And the magic happened. I’m happy now.”
Moral of the story:
Don’t chase happiness. Just enjoy your life, live every moment.
Read: The Key To Rediscovering Inner Happiness Based On Your Zodiac Sign
Moral Story 3: How Heavy Is The Glass?
A psychology professor was up on the stage giving a lecture on stress management to a gallery full of students. In the middle of a lesson, she raised a glass of water and everyone assumed that it would be the same old story about “glass half empty or glass half full”.
To everyone’s surprise, she asked her students to guess the weight of the glass.
She asked, “Can anyone tell me how heavy this glass of water is?
The audience responded with a variety of answers ranging from a few ounces to a several pounds!
The she replied:
“The absolute weight of the glass is inconsequential. What is important is how heavy it feels in my hand, and that depends on how long I hold the glass. If I hold the glass for a few minutes only, it feels light. If I hold it for an hour or two, the glass will start to feel moderately heavy and leave my arm aching. But if I hold the glass for an entire day, my hand will feel numb with pain and I’ll be forced to drop it. So the weight of the glass is the same in each of the cases. But the feeling of heaviness depends on how long I hold it.”
Everyone shook their head in agreement.
The professor continued:
“Your stresses and worries are similar to this glass of water. When you ponder over them for a short while, it’s fine. Ponder over them for a little longer, you will begin to feel the ache. Think about them all day long, you will be completely taken over by the weight and confusion of your worries. You won’t be able to do anything else unless you drop them from your mind completely.”
Moral of the story:
Learn to let go. Some things just can’t be controlled. No amount of worrying can fix your problems. So no point wasting your time or energy. Instead of stressing out, embrace the inevitable. Let go and choose to have a productive day instead.
Related: 13 Things to Remember When Life Gets Rough
Moral Story 4: Four Smart Students
Four college students were out partying one day. They partied till late into the night and didn’t study a thing for the test that was scheduled to take place the next morning.
They had to do something to save their faces. They didn’t want to flunk the test, which was an important one. So they came up with a plan.
They smeared dirt and mud on their clothes and faces and then went to the Dean’s office. The students told him that they went to a friend’s wedding last night in a car and on their way back, one of the car tires burst, so they had to push back the car all the way back. Owing to their extreme exhaustion, they were in no state to give an exam this morning.
The Dean took a minute. But then he agreed to take a retest for them, which was scheduled after three days. The students felt relieved and thankful and decided to prepare well for the exam.
Three days later, they all appeared for the examination well- prepared.
On their arrival, the Dean informed them that each one would be seated in a different room. The students agreed.
When they saw the question paper, they were dumbfounded.
The test just had 2 questions and 100 marks distributed like this:
1) Your Name: ______________ (1 mark)
2) Which tire burst? ________________ (99 marks)
Options: (a) Front right (b) Front left (c) Back right (d) Back left
Moral of the story:
Take responsibility for your actions or else life will teach you a lesson.
Moral Story 5: Struggles Of Our Life
Once upon a time, there was a girl who felt that her life was too miserable to continue. It was full of never-ending struggles.
She complained about her life to her father, saying that she doubted she would make it.
She was tired of fighting all the time; as soon as she overcame one problem, another one showed up.
Her father, who was a chef, took her to the kitchen and asked her to sit on a chair. Meanwhile, he took three pots, filled them with water, and placed them on fire.
As the water started boiling, he put potatoes in the first pot, in the second pot he put eggs, and in the third pot, he put some ground coffee beans.
He let the ingredients stay in the boiling water for a while. He didn’t talk much with his daughter who was moaning and complaining impatiently.
Twenty minutes later he turned off the fire. He took out the boiled potatoes and served them into a dish. Next, he took out the boiled eggs and served them into another dish. Lastly, he served the coffee in a cup.
Then he asked his daughter, “What do you see?”
“Boiled potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she replied in a rather uninterested tone.
“Take a closer look” he said.
He asked her to touch the potatoes. She did so and noted that the potatoes were soft.
Her father then asked her to break one of the eggs and see. She noted that the egg was hard-boiled.
Finally, she was asked to take a sip of her coffee. The rich aroma of the coffee stretched her lips into a lovely smile.
“What does this mean?”, she asked her father.
Her father explained that three types of things, namely the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans went through the same adversity- the heat of the boiling water. But each one reacted in a different manner.
The potato, which is hard and strong otherwise, became tender and weak in the boiling water.
The egg, which was fragile before and depended on a thin outer shell to protect the liquid inside, became hard and resilient when placed in the boiling water.
But the most unique of them all was the ground coffee beans. They reacted with the boiling water, transforming it and creating something new and beautiful.
Finally, he asked his daughter, “Which one do you want to be?“
Read: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret That’ll Transform Your Outlook On Life
Moral of the story:
In life, unexpected and challenging things happen to us all the time. Our power is that we get to choose how we react to the adversities we face. Life is all about learning from the struggles we face, growing, adapting to change, and evolving into a better version of ourselves each day.
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