Scaling Mount Everest requires the enthusiasm and boosterism of a physical-education teacher combined with the survival instinct of a Green Beret. You have to want that summit. Erik Weihenmayer, 33, wasn’t just…
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Night and day
Rabbi Isadore was a wise teacher. A student asked, “How is one to know the precise time when night ends and day begins?” One student volunteered, “It is when one can distinguish…
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Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
This story is about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was…
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Five monkeys and a ladder
A group of scientists placed five monkeys in a cage, and in the middle, a ladder with bananas on top. Every time a monkey went up the ladder, the scientists soaked the…
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Shine in your own way
A samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a monk to ask him for his advice. When the monk had finished his prayers, the Samurai asked, “Why…
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The falcon and the branch
Once, a king received two magnificent peregrine falcons as a gift from one of his vassal states. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. Though the falcons were still…
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“I wish you enough”
At an airport, I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane’s departure and standing near the door, he said to his daughter, “I love…
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The bamboo tree
A man got frustrated with life. Despite all his hard work and effort, failure was all that he learnt. Feeling defeated with life, he left everything and exiled himself in the woods.…
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World’s ‘poorest’ ex-president Mujica turns down pension
Former Uruguayan leader José Mujica, who was dubbed “the world’s poorest president” for his modest lifestyle, says he does not want any pension from his time as a senator. Mr Mujica resigned…
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A prison where the inmates have to go and find jobs
At Sanganer prison, in the Indian city of Jaipur, inmates get a roof over their head, but no money and no food. This prison has no bars or walls, no security guards…