哲理主要探讨人生的目的、价值、意义、态度等，相比理论化、系统化的哲学而言，它的表现形式通常是智慧箴言式。本页是敬业的小编给家人们整编的5篇英文哲理故事的相关文章，仅供借鉴。
I recently started a new job, in a small office, where four of us share a fridge. In that fridge is a Brita water filter pitcher. One of my coworkers complained the water tasted "dirty". It went on for a few days, and she was stunned I could drink the water without any trouble. I started to doubt my taste buds, but the water really tasted fine.
Finally, she figured out the problem was actually her cup. She simply forgot to clean it, and after awhile started to affect the water inside it. She cleaned her cup, and drank the water with no problem.
I can't help but think about the world we live in. Too often we quickly blame other people, other things, anything else but ourselves. "You're racist". "You're intolerant". "You're the problem". The world isn't perfect, I know, but I think we should take a step back sometimes and ask ourselves some tough questions.
Can I be better? Is my heart really pure? Can I help this situation with kindness?
I want to tell you this; please clean your cup. Because when you do, the water will taste much better. I promise you this.
Samantha, like many renters, is tired of renting. One reason is that her annual rent goes up like clockwork. Every year her landlord raises the rent five percent. Another reason is her neighbors. “New neighbors always seem to be more inconsiderate than the ones who moved out,” she said. “My first neighbor was a door-slammer; I always knew when he came home or left home. After he moved out, a saxophonist moved in. A saxophonist! He practiced two hours a day. On Saturday his friends would come over and I’d get to listen to a whole band. I called the police, but they said saxophone playing is permitted in apartments for up to four hours a day, because saxophone playing is job-related. They told me I was lucky that the guy was only playing two hours a day!”
There are many unhappy renters, but there are also happy renters. “I’ve been lucky my whole life,” said Howard, a middle-aged man. “My neighbors couldn’t have been any better if I had picked them myself. One neighbor was a chef. He’d bring me the best leftovers in the world. Another neighbor was a pianist. She played the most delightful music. Another neighbor was a mechanic who did my tune-ups and changed the oil in my car. My latest neighbor is a birder; we go birding every weekend with our binoculars.”
Different persons have different attitudes. Samantha saw the saxophone player as irritating, yet Howard saw the piano player as delightful. Millions of people would be happy just to have a roof over their head. Yet there are millions who would complain that their roof is the wrong color.
一座村子里住着一位贫穷的老太太，她摘了一盘豆子，准备煮熟了吃。她在炉子里点上火，为了让炉子烧得快一点，她生炉子的时候用了一把麦草。当把豆子倒进锅里时，她没有注意到一粒豆子掉了出来，落在地上的一根麦草旁。不一会儿，一块燃烧的煤炭也从炉子中跳了出来，落在它俩的旁边。于是，麦草开口说：“亲爱的朋友们，你们从哪里来呀？”煤块答道：“我总算幸运地从火里跳出来了。要是我没有使劲跳出来，我必死无疑，一定会被烧成灰烬。”豆子说：“我也成功地逃了出来，可要是那老太太把我倒进了锅子，我肯定会像我的伙伴们一样，被她毫不留情地煮成浓汤。”“难道我不是不幸中之万幸吗？”麦草问，“那个老太太把我所有的兄弟塞进炉火里，变成了轻烟。她一把就抓住了六十根，要了它们的命。幸好我从她的指缝里溜掉了。”
“可我们现在怎么办呢？”煤块问。
“我觉得，”豆子回答，“既然我们都幸运地死里逃生，我们就应该像好伙伴一样团结在一起。为了避免在这地方再遭到厄运，我们应该离开这里，到别的地方去。”
另外两位都觉得这是一个好主意，于是它们便结伴而行。没过多久，它们来到了一条小溪边，小溪上既没有桥，也没有跳磴，它们不知道该怎么过去。麦草灵机一动，说：“让我横躺在小溪上，你们可以像过桥一样从我身上走过去。”麦草说着便把自己的身子从小溪的这一边伸到了另一边。煤块性子比较急，立刻大着胆子走上了这座刚刚搭好的桥。可是它走到桥中间时，听到溪水在脚下哗哗地流淌，不由得害怕起来，站在那里不敢往前走。这下麦草燃了起来，断成两截掉进了小溪。煤块跟着掉了下去，碰到水发出咝的一声，就送了命。豆子一直谨慎地呆在岸上，看到这情景不由得放声哈哈大笑。它笑呀笑，笑得裂开了自己的肚皮。它本来也许就这样完蛋了，但幸运的是，一个外出找活干的裁缝正好坐在小溪旁休息。这位裁缝心肠很好，取出针线把它的肚子缝在了一起。豆子好好地谢了裁缝，可由于裁缝用的是黑线，所以豆子的身上至今还留有一条黑缝。
THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN
In a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth, and that it might burn the quicker, she lighted it with a handful of straw. When she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped without her observing it, and lay on the ground beside a straw, and soon afterwards a burning coal from the fire leapt down to the two.
Then the straw began and said: “Dear friends, from whence do you come here?” The coal replied: “I fortunately sprang out of the fire, and if I had not escaped by sheer force, my death would have been certain,--I should have been burnt to ashes.” The bean said: “I too have escaped with a whole skin, but if the old woman had got me into the pan, I should have been made into broth without any mercy, like my comrades.” “And would a better fate have fallen to my lot?” said the straw. “The old woman has destroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke; she seized sixty of them at once, and took their lives. I luckily slipped through her fingers.”
"But what are we to do now?” said the coal. “I think,” answered the bean, “that as we have so fortunately escaped death, we should keep together like good companions, and lest a new mischance should overtake us here, we should go away together, and repair to a foreign country.”
The proposition pleased the two others, and they set out on their way together. Soon, however, they came to a little brook, and as there was no bridge or foot-plank, they did not know how they were to get over it. The straw hit on a good idea, and said: “I will lay myself straight across, and then you can walk over on me as on a bridge.” The straw therefore stretched itself from one bank to the other, and the coal, who was of an impetuous disposition, tripped quite boldly on to the newly-built bridge. But when she had reached the middle, and heard the water rushing beneath her, she was after all, afraid, and stood still, and ventured no farther. The straw, however, began to burn, broke in two pieces, and fell into the stream. The coal slipped after her, hissed when she got into the water, and breathed her last. The bean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore, could not but laugh at the event, was unable to stop, and laughed so heartily that she burst. It would have been all over with her, likewise, if, by good fortune, a tailor who was traveling in search of work, had not sat down to rest by the brook. As he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread, and sewed her together. The bean thanked him most prettily, but as the tailor used black thread, all beans since then have a black seam.
I recently started a new job, in a small office, where four of us share a fridge. In that fridge is a Brita water filter pitcher. One of my coworkers complained the water tasted "dirty". It went on for a few days, and she was stunned I could drink the water without any trouble. I started to doubt my taste buds, but the water really tasted fine.
最近我找了份新工作，是在一间小办公室里，我们四个人共用一个冰箱。冰箱里有一个Brita牌滤水壶，有一个同事抱怨说水喝起来感觉很“脏”，她连续抱怨了几天，还很震惊我喝这样的水竟然没事。我开始怀疑自己的味蕾出问题了，但我真觉着水喝着还不错。
Finally, she figured out the problem was actually her cup. She simply forgot to clean it, and after awhile started to affect the water inside it. She cleaned her cup, and drank the water with no problem.
最后，她发现问题出在了她的杯子上，她只是忘了刷杯子，过一段时间就影响里面水的味道了。她把杯子洗干净了，水就没有异味了。
I cant help but think about the world we live in. Too often we quickly blame other people, other things, anything else but ourselves. "Youre racist". "Youre intolerant". "Youre the problem". The world isnt perfect, I know, but I think we should take a step back sometimes and ask ourselves some tough questions.
我禁不住思考了我们生活的世界，我们总是急于责备其他人、其他事、除了自己之外的一切东西。“你有种族歧视”、“你太狭隘”、“是你的问题”，我知道世界并不完美，
Can I be better? Is my heart really pure? Can I help this situation with kindness?
我能变得更好吗？我的心真的纯洁吗？我能带着善意解决问题吗？
I want to tell you this; please clean your cup. Because when you do, the water will taste much better. I promise you this.
我想告诉你这个道理：请洗干净自己的杯子。因为只有你把杯子洗干净了，里面的水味道才会好，我保证。
The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and jostled the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. "How embarrassing. I am getting so clumsy in my old age."
Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said, "Come on, Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment."
Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. "I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home."