A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal.”
“Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
Author Unknown
Very nice story… Thank you.
Nice 1…
Outstanding inspiring story….
Nice
Very Inspiring Story. Everyone should read this.
Inspiring story….kudos to the author of the story…
Wonderful…really wonderful!
This is a fact to be applied in our life .
I agree with the story. We have to care of the important things that we have in life as the family friends, because they always going to be supporting us. Something has higher priority than others.
I think it’s a great story, cause it made me think about how important is my family and friends. and that they are more important that small things in life.
I agree, people forget what really important in life. You have to give priority to your family, because they are always support you in your life. This show me a lesson, we dont have to spend time on the small stuff.
This story is wonderful. If we read this story well, we can know that family is impotant to everybody… We have to be more consider with important thing in our life… First do important things.. and then we will do wathever we want to do. Also this story help us to understand what important is family, love, job..
We have to be more consider and more interesting in priority thing in our lifes.
This is a fantastic story, I believe that the philosphy teacher did an amazing job on that analogy, showing his students that sitting your priorities in life is one of the, if not the most, important things in life, simply because if we don’t set our priorities we will never be able to complete anything we propose.
“Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
This quote has really marked me, because I was the kind of person that used to spend her time with sand, little things in my life, things that sometimes doesn’t even matter and then i felt my life was empty and i didn’t realize that i was leaving behind the most important things… so now i know what and who really are the “rocks” in my life.
This reading was really important, we need to focus our life in something that really matters, and then we are gonna realize that “rocks” are the stronger thing we have and in we trust more.
Great story, the teacher is right we SHOULD prioritise our family and friends, small things does matter but we first need to fill our lives with rocks
People have to give priority to family before the other things.
I love this story. We always have to remeber that if we want have happyness life, so we have to take care the most important things in our life like the profesor said….. 🙂
It’s a great example of the most important things in the life..!!!
This a Excellent story! It’s great to learn about the important things in our lives, this story is good to learn that our family is firt about another things and we have to care that rockies that are in the life!
We have to have time to everything, Family, friends and job, because we need a balanced life 🙂
Wonderful story. The way professor made the students understand about the importance of family is appreciated. Thanks to d author & other engaged in making it online.
Wonderful and good moral story that every student must read this and follow the same path in his / her own life.
A good story to make the fools out there, understand that priorities are must to be set in life……… and why don’t you shove up that attitude in your A** …… this is the perfect one
Wow What a wonderful story it has pulled the curtains of ignorance from my eyes…..heartily thank to the author of this story .keep publishing ………….
But the small things doesn´t necessary have to be negative, sometimes a little tiny thing can make a huge difference or a big change of the way you see things, for example: little things like that moment when you talk to someone you were interested in and it changes the image that the person might have had of you, because you might be starting a new friendship
I think it was great …..this kind of moral storie should be read everyday by all of us cause is very important to remind us whats the most important things in our life, to pay attention to our family and friends, and making things that makes us happy 🙂
I think that life is too short to worry about problems, we have to trust in God that everything is going to be ok tomorrow!! so worry about important things! and live your life because you only live once!
Most inspirational to everyone who loves to have a peaceful way of life and satisfactory EXIT….
Thank you very much.
It is just the same as our life… in my opinion moral is outstanding…thank u
It’s really true!!!!!!!!!! This is the exact fundamental of happy life which everyone should apply in his/her life ……….. thanks to author!!!!!!!!
I am really sorry for saying like this, here the professor supports to selfishness to people because people gives important to their family’s correct, so automatically the people are become to selfish. so people should be think like family means the entire earth.
Our family comes 1st then rest because they alway support us without any demands
Really this is one of the most moral stories which help to set priorities when stuff situation occur in life and how to free from that also.
Thanks a lot again.
That was a cool story
Heart touching story!!! inspiring.
nice story
if u feel deppressed tell it to a suitable person only not every one
Its very nice & adoptable moral story
Nice one, rocks are your support… sand may erode.. rocks alwz stand (family always with you)
This is a really nice story, we all understood but forget this just after few seconds of reading .. don’t we….
It is very good & interesting. Thanks for such an inspiring and heart touching story.
Yup… I agree, it has been great for me… but confused with some sort… of liquid can not easily fill the space… can we compare it with our partner???
I am really touched by this wonderful story…. I always think about the pebbles are the most important…. Thanks very much for this inspirational advise… am BLESSED
I liked the story, its wonderful…………still there is place for water what do we relate it with……….???????
The story is very simple, but it has huge meaning….
Adorable. lovely.
It was true in real life.
Nice and meaningful story.
Yes… it’s a really good story for the students and everybody…
Touching story. Beautiful lesson for any age.
This story was really very touching. It was an amazing story with lots of valuable things and a deep moral. The fact that the story brings along it is so important and awesome and contains a close to heart meaning 🙂
It’s a very good story and inspires me.
I like this story.
Ya.. right… one of the best small stories… which makes you think big….
Very, very super story.
Yes, the moral of the story is excellent. I understood now what i missed in my life, thank you so much for posting the story.
Of course, it’s a fantastic story to all, shows priorities we need for uplifting standard of living. Thanks to the author and this website.
I like this story.
It’s a superb story. I would like to thank the author, thank u very much.
A wonderful story I have ever read. Thanks to the author and this website…
Yes, it is a really fine story, useful to the teachers. Taking one scientific fact, a good story created.
Yes, it is a really good story. The moral of the story also tells us how to utilise our valuble time in a day. If we consider the jar is 24 hours in a day, what would we do in 24 hours? First we can do whatever the important works there is, finish the work first. Then do whatever unimportant works.
Very heart torching and lovely story for every serious persons.
OMG!!! What a brilliant story to tell! Very touching and thoughtful……. I love it!!!
Thanks for sharing this story. It inspired me.
So sweet
superrrrrrrrr
It’s a good story…. It will change so many people mind and thoughts…… All the best to everyone….
very nice story about relation of sand pebbles and rocks
Very touching 🙂
Thanks for nice inspirition theory.
This is exciting and inspiring…. Thank you..
Its simply rocks…Everyone in the world have to think about this.Then we can understand what we are losing in our lives and we get realized.!!!
Very good story….!!!!! I like it.
A really sensational story!!!
Nice story, being a lecturer I will convey this to my students.
Really a beautiful story!!!