When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers. The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spe...

There was a man who wanted to see God. He went on many pilgrimages and read many scriptures but nothing seemed to be able to satisfy his quest. He wandered from place to place in search of God. On a cold winter evening, he sat watching an old woman stirring the logs in a fireplace. After every little while, the coals were covered with ash. The woman picked up her poker and stirred up the ash to expose the red hot embers. He kept watching the woman as she cleared the burning logs of ash from time to time. Each time she shook the ash away, the fire burnt brighter than before. The following day he sat under a tree resting his tired limbs and watched the sun shining brightly. He said, Oh sun! You watch over the whole world, surely you would know where God lives. Where is He hiding? I have looked for him everywhere, but I cannot find him. Just then a passing cloud covered the face of the sun and hid it from view. After some time the cloud passed away and the sun shone; bright and clear...

There was a man who sold hot dogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers . He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hot dogs. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more meat and got himself a bigger and a better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from college, joined his father. Then something strange happened. The son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?” The father replied, “No, but tell me about it.” The son said, “The international situation is terrible. The domestic is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad time.” The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, and listened to the radio, he ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day, the father cut down his order for the meat and buns, took down th...

Once a mechanic was removing the engine parts from a motorcycle, when he saw famous heart surgeon in his shop. He called the surgeon and said “Look at this engine… I opened its heart, took the valves out, repaired and put them back. So why do I get such a small salary and you get such a huge sum” The doctor smiled at the mechanic and came close to his ear and said “Try the same when the engine is running.”

When I was in elementary school, I got into a major argument with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learned that day. I was convinced that “I” was right and “he” was wrong – and he was just as convinced that “I” was wrong and “he” was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the object was. “White,” he answered. I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black! Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the color of the object. The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to a...

A dim-witted wolf saw a donkey grazing in a field and decided to eat him. When the donkey saw him approaching he said: “You cannot eat me, I have a passport.” “What’s a passport?” asked the wolf, puzzled. “Come and stand behind me,” said the donkey, “I’ll show you.” The wolf, intrigued, went and stood behind the donkey. He was wondering if perhaps the donkey’s tail was the passport when he received such a kick on his face that two teeth shot out of his mouth. While he lay on the grass, dazed, the donkey made good his escape. Moral : You may need to go along with your enemy sometimes, be aware then.