多看一些简短的英文励志小故事不仅有利于提高我们的阅读理解能力，还可以激励自己。以下是小编为大家精心推荐的简短的英文励志小故事，希望你会喜欢。
简短的英文励志小故事篇一：覆水难收
摘要：一位善良的女人一天说了一些话伤害了她最好的有多年友情的朋友;她话一出口就后悔了，她想做任何事来收回她的话。她的话伤害朋友如此之深，以至于这个善良的女人为自己给朋友造成痛苦而伤心不已。
A certain good woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted immediately and would have done anything to have taken the words back . What she said hurt the friend so much that this good woman was herself hurt for the pain she caused . In an effort to undo what she had done , she went to an older ,wise woman in the village, explained her situation ,and asked for advice.
Listening to her ，the older woman sensed the younger woman's distress and knew she must help her . She also knew she could never alleviate the pain , but she could teach . She knew the outcome would depend solely on the character of the younger woman . She said ,"Tonight ,take your best feather pillows and put single feather on the doorstep of each house in the town before the sun rises."
The young woman hurried home to prepare for her chore ,even though the feather pillows were very dear to her .All night long ,she labored alone in the cold. Finally the sky was getting light ,she placed the last feather on the steps of the last house .Just as the sun rose, she returned to the older woman.
"Now", said the wise woman,"go back and refill your pillows with the feather you have put on the steps .then everything will be as it was before."
"You know that's impossible! the wind blew away each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps!" the young woman was surprised .
"That's true," said the older woman."never forget. each of your words is like a feather in the wind. once spoken, no amount of effort, regardless how heartfelt or sincere, can never return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and guard them most of all the presence of those of you love. "
一位善良的女人一天说了一些话伤害了她最好的有多年友情的朋友;她话一出口就后悔了，她想做任何事来收回她的话。她的话伤害朋友如此之深，以至于这个善良的女人为自己给朋友造成痛苦而伤心不已。为了努力消除自己所做错事的影响，她拜访本村一位有智慧的年长妇女，介绍她的现状，寻求解决办法。
听着年轻女的述说，年长女感觉到年轻女的忧伤，并且意识到自己得帮助年轻女。年长女知道她不可能减轻年轻女的伤痛，但她可以让年轻女从中吸取教训。她明白事情的结果只能是取决于年轻女的性格。她说：“今晚，拆开你最好的羽毛枕头，在太阳升起之前，在本镇每家的门阶上放一根羽毛。”
年轻女匆匆回家准备这事，尽管这些枕头是她非常心爱的。一整夜，她独自在严寒中劳动。最后，天放亮时，她终于将最后一根羽毛放在最后一家的台阶上。太阳升起时，她回到年长女的家。
“现在”，年长女说道，“回去再用你放在每家台阶上的羽毛把枕头填满，然后，一切事情就象是没有发生过，一如往昔。
“你知道这是不可能的!我把羽毛一放在台阶上，风就把它们吹跑了!”年轻女非常惊讶年长女这个建议。
“没错。”年长女说道，“你要永远记住，你的每句话就象是风中的羽毛，覆水难收。一旦不计后果，话已说出，尽管你的愿望是如何真心、如何诚意，但说话如沷水不可收回。适当选择你的话，并且当心你的话，特别特别是在那些为你所爱的人面前。”
简短的英文励志小故事篇二：一棵小苹果树
摘要：一个穷困的农夫有一个朋友，这个朋友因为种了神奇的苹果树而远近闻名。
A poor farmer had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apple he grew.
One day, his friend gave the farmer a young apple tree and told him to take it home and plant it.
The farmer was pleased with the gift, but when he got home he did not know where to plant it.
He was afraid that if he planted the tree near the road, strangers would steal the fruit. If he planted the tree in one of his field, his neighbors would come at night and steal some of the apples. If he planted the tree near his house, his children would take the fruit.
Finally he planted the tree in his wood where no one could see it. But without sunlight and good soil, the tree soon died.
Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place."What's the difference?" the farmer said angrily. "If I had planted the tree near the road, strangers would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted the tree in one of my field, my neighbors would have come at night and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit."
"Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now you not only have robbed everyone of the fruit, but also you have destroyed a good apple tree!"
一个穷困的农夫有一个朋友，这个朋友因为种了神奇的苹果树而远近闻名。
有一天，农夫的这个朋友送给他一棵小苹果树。农夫对这个礼物非常高兴。但当他回到家时，却不知道将它栽在什么地方。
他担心他把苹果树栽在路边，陌生人会偷树上的苹果，他把树种在自己的一块地里，邻居们夜里就会过来偷苹果。他把树栽在自己的房子边，他的孩子们就会摘苹果。
最后，他把那棵树栽在了林子里，那里没人能看见。但没有阳光和泥土，树不久就死了。
后来，朋友问农夫他为什么把树栽在那样贫瘠的地方。
“那有什么不一样?”农夫生气地说， “我把苹果树栽在路边，陌生人就会偷树上的苹果，我把树栽在自己的一块地里，邻居们夜里就会来偷苹果。我把树栽在自己的房边，我自己的孩子们就会摘苹果。”
是的，”他的朋友说. “但至少可能有人来分享这些果实。现在你不仅剥夺了每个人的果实，也毁了一棵好苹果树!”
简短的英文励志小故事篇三：禅师和男孩
摘要：一位父亲为儿子担心。儿子16岁了，却没有一点勇气。于是，父亲决定去拜访一位禅师，请他训练儿子。
A father was worried about his son, who was sixteen years old but had no courage at all. So the father decided to call on a Buddhist monk to train his boy.
The Buddhist monk said to the boy's father, "You should leave your son alone here. I'll make him into a real man within three months. However, you can’t come to see him during this period. "
Three months later, the boy's father returned. The Buddhist monk arranged a boxing match between the boy and an experienced boxer. Each time the fighter struck the boy, he fell down, but at once the boy stood up; and each time a punch knocked him down, the boy stood up again. Several times later, the Buddhist monk asked, "What do you think of your child?"
"What a shame!" the boy's father said. "I never thought he would be so easily knocked down. I needn't have him left here any longer."
"I'm sorry that that's all you see. Don't you see that each time he falls down; he stands up again instead of crying? That's the kind of courage you wanted him to have."
一位父亲为儿子担心。儿子16岁了，却没有一点勇气。于是，父亲决定去拜访一位禅师，请他训练儿子。
禅师对男孩的父亲说：“你应该让他单独留在这里。不出3个月，我要让他成为一个真正的男子汉。不过，在这段时间，你不能来见他。”
3个月后，男孩的父亲又来见禅师。禅师安排这个男孩和一位经验丰富的拳师进行拳击比赛。拳师每次一出手，男孩就倒在地上，但男孩又马上站起来;每次将他击倒，他就又站起来。几个回合后，禅师问道：“你认为自己的孩子怎么样?”
“真丢人!”男孩的父亲说，“我绝没想到他这样不堪一击。我不需要他再留在这里了。”
“很遗憾，你只看到了这一点。难道你没看到他每次倒下后并没有哭泣，而是重新站起来了吗?这才是你想要他拥有的那种勇气。”
