My husband and I were walking down the beach after a tumultuous tropical storm had passed, leaving a host of starfish strewn across the sand, stranded by the tide. I hope you enjoy today’s story, “The Star Thrower.” The One Takeaway I hope you get from this story is: To be more effective, you have to ask for help. Refer to our episode show notes for all the links. Sources for today’s story are: “ The Star Thrower ” by Loren Eiseley, The Loren Eiseley Society (LES), and “The Parable” from the Starfish Project located on the Starfish Project’s website.

These are two stories that are similar, yet very different, so we’ll go through the popular version of the story, then Eiseley’s original version, then compare the two and discuss. Suffice it to say that it’s loosely derived from a 16 page essay published in 1969 by Loren Eiseley. So what is this story? Ahhh…we’ll get to it soon. You can find a few examples on my Pinterest board located at Tales from the Hearth for reference. You know you can view and buy beautiful home furnishings, framed art, videos, tattoos, and decorations detailing this popular tale via Amazon, Etsy, others.

Often referred to as “The Starfish Story,” “Legend of the Starfish,” “The Parable of the Starfish,” or “The Starfish Effect,” etc., the basic message of this story is that you should give and do what you can to make a difference in the world, even if the problem seems too big or your contribution seems too small. You think you’ve probably heard this one before, if not by another name. Have you ever accepted your own limitations?Įpisode Intro: Have you ever heard a popular story before, only to find out that what you’ve heard is not quite correct? Today’s story is about “The Star Thrower,” a widely-used motivational speech anecdote that is loosely based on a story by Loren Eiseley.

The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley