The Boy and the Starfish Story 

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One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it back into the ocean.

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Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

 

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

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After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then smiling at the man, he said “I made a difference for that one.”

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By Loren Eisley