Top 10 Inspirational Stories about Integrity Worth Celebrating

Story:

'Uncle Ho once taught us 'Modesty, Honesty, Courage'. The shoeshine boy on that street corner truly embodies Uncle's teachings. He was genuinely honest. Today, he carried his tools to work again. The boy, about six or seven years old, probably lives nearby. Despite the cold, he only wore a worn-out, thin, grey sweater. His feet adorned with black flip-flops, tainted with yellowish dirt. Perhaps last night's drizzle made the streets slippery and dirty, hence his dirty feet. He walked into the lobby of a café. Going from table to table, asking if anyone needed shoeshining services. Some shook their heads. Approaching a corner table, the boy was rudely yelled at by a customer, 'Go somewhere else for work.'

The boy hung his head and walked away. Shortly after, the same customer called him back. He handed the boy his black shoes for a quick clean. As the customer left for the parking lot, the boy hurried after him, seemingly saying something. But the customer got in his car and drove off. At a red light intersection, the customer stopped right by the roadside. Glancing in the mirror, he saw the boy chasing after him. He quickly pulled over onto the curb. The boy caught up, panting heavily, and said:

'Sir! You gave me the wrong change. You paid me twenty thousand dong for shining your shoes, but you handed me five hundred thousand dong instead.'

As he spoke, the boy unfolded the bill and handed it back to the customer.

The customer smiled, looked around, and said: 'Do you like pastries?' The boy looked at the customer with bewildered eyes.

The customer continued: 'I'll treat you to a delicious pastry.' The boy held the pastry happily. Perhaps that was the face of happiness for a poor but honest boy. He resumed his rounds around the streets to diligently carry out his work.

Life Lesson:
Regardless of circumstances, material scarcity pales in comparison to moral bankruptcy. No matter how harsh the circumstances, always hold onto your principles, and you'll always deserve respect. As long as you're honest with yourself and others, that's something to be proud of.

Story:

'Once upon a time, there was a poor peasant lad. His parents passed away early, leaving him an orphan. All he had was an axe. Every day, he would venture into the forest with his axe to chop wood, which he would sell to make ends meet. Near the edge of the forest flowed a river, swift and daunting. If anyone slipped and fell into the river, it was incredibly difficult to swim to safety.

One day, as usual, the lad carried his axe into the woods to chop wood. While chopping wood by the riverbank, his axe handle broke, and the blade flew into the river. Despite knowing how to swim, the lad couldn't retrieve the axe because of the swift current. Disheartened, he sat down and wept.

Suddenly, an old man with long white hair, a flowing beard, and gentle eyes appeared before him. The old man looked at the lad and asked:

'My child, why do I see you crying and sorrowful like this?'

The peasant lad replied:

'Sir, my parents passed away when I was young, leaving me an orphan. My family's circumstances are very poor. The only possession I have is this iron axe, which my parents left me before they passed away. With this axe, I could venture into the forest to chop wood and earn a living. But now it has fallen into the river, and I don't know how I'll make ends meet anymore. That's why I'm so sad, sir!'

The old man responded:

'I thought it was something serious. Don't cry anymore, my child. Let me dive into the river to retrieve your axe for you.' With that, the old man plunged into the swift-flowing river. After a while, he emerged from the water, holding a shining silver axe. He asked the poor peasant lad:

'Is this the blade that you accidentally dropped into the river?'

The peasant lad looked at the shining silver axe and shook his head, saying:

'No, sir, that's not my axe. My axe's blade is made of iron.'

For the second time, the old man plunged into the river to find the lad's axe. After a while, he surfaced again, this time holding a golden axe. He asked the lad:

'Is this the blade that you accidentally dropped into the river?'

Once again, the lad shook his head at the gleaming golden axe and replied:

'No, sir, that's not my axe either. My axe's blade is made of plain iron.'

For the third time, the old man dived into the river. This time, when he emerged, he held the iron axe blade that belonged to the peasant lad. He asked:

'Is this your axe blade?' Seeing that it was indeed his blade, the lad exclaimed joyfully:

'Yes, sir, this is my axe blade! Thank you for retrieving it for me so that I can continue chopping wood to make a living.' The old man handed the iron axe blade to the peasant lad and praised him:

'You are truly honest and truthful, not coveting wealth or gain. Today, I will give you these two axes made of gold and silver. This is my gift to you, so accept it with joy.' The peasant lad happily accepted the two axes that the old man gave him and expressed his gratitude. The old man then disappeared. It was then that the peasant lad realized he had just been helped by a divine being.'

Life Lesson:

Honest people, straightforward as they are, often seem to lose out. But that's just the thinking of selfish, petty individuals. Because, ultimately, though life may thrust you into harsh circumstances today, even tomorrow, when the time is right, you will surely be rewarded. Whatever heaven takes away from you, it cannot take away your proud honesty if you are determined to keep it.

Story:

'At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, after the bell rang to end work, everyone hurried home. Tonight, I had no plans, so I wandered aimlessly, without any hurry. I enjoy taking a leisurely stroll, observing the bustling streets filled with people coming and going. The sun had faded, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, leaving only the busy street. Lost in thought, I suddenly heard a voice calling out nearby, 'Sir, would you buy some potatoes from me?'

Looking over, I saw a girl around 10 to 12 years old, wearing a worn-out hat with two boiled potatoes inside, her face sweaty and dirty, her voice pleading, 'Please buy from me, sir. If I don't sell them, my stepfather will beat me to death.'

I looked at the poor child, her eyes red with tears, truly pitiful. 'How much for all of them?' I asked softly.

'Five thousand, sir, please buy from me,' her voice and eyes lit up with hope. I handed her two potatoes and a 50,000 dong note, saying, 'Take this, quickly go home.'

The little girl looked sad, saying, 'I don't have change, and I dare not take your money because when my stepfather checks, if he finds extra money, he will beat me severely, thinking I've hidden money from him.'

'Then keep aside 45,000,' I suggested.

'No, sir, I want to be honest. No matter what, that's what I'll say. But my stepfather won't believe me,' the girl looked at me with wide eyes.

Feeling conflicted, tears welling up, I handed her 5,000 dong and walked away. I prayed and believed that 'This child will have a happy life because of her honesty.'

Life Lesson:

Just a potato-selling girl, but her honest and truthful heart always consciously maintains her proud moral qualities. In the end, 'This child will have a happy life because of her honesty,' as the kind-hearted man in the story said.

Story:

'Like any other evening, after finishing her studies, the child nestled in her mother's arms to listen to her story. Every day, her mother would tell her a bedtime story. That day, instead of a fairy tale, fable, or joke, her mother told her own story - the story of an honest person. When she was in second grade, to support her children's education, her mother, in addition to her other chores, also collected scrap metal.

During lunch breaks, while preparing lunch for her three children after school, assigning each one tasks for the afternoon, her mother rode her bike to every house to buy paper, plastic, iron... anything that could be sold, rain or shine. Her mother recalled: There were lucky days when she could buy a lot from families just after they had a party, which made her very happy because she could earn more money for her children to buy more books and supplies. But there were also days when she arrived during someone's naptime, and some people became irritable. Her mother always remained calm, apologized, and left. Despite her trade, her mother never let anyone down.

Her mother recounted the most memorable incident: One day, under the scorching sun, as she was cycling, she heard someone call out, 'Scrap metal, come pick up some items here.' She turned her bike and went to collect some old cans, books. The woman selling the items went inside, leaving her to sort and weigh the items herself. While sorting through writing paper, printing paper, newspapers, her mother noticed an open envelope with the words: 'For my daughter.' Inside, there was still a letter and two 200,000 dong notes. Her mother knew it was a letter from her husband to their daughter, along with money, probably for books or school fees, as her responsibility to her children. Although that amount was equivalent to a month's worth of collecting scrap metal, her mother understood a father's heart and guessed that the daughter had been saving, so she called the woman out and handed it back to her.

The woman accepted it with joy and surprise: 'My daughter is in university, every time she writes, her father sends money for her education. She must be saving it, planning to collect it later. Thank you so much! You're so kind, thank you very much.' Her mother happily chatted with her, telling her about her family and then returned the money to her even though she refused to take it as a token of gratitude. Before her mother continued her journey, the woman said to her: 'Thank you, come back again next time, if I have anything to sell, I'll set some aside for you.' Her mother recounted her scrap metal trade story with joy, without explicitly stating the lesson to her child, but her child understood that her mother wanted to advise her: To live, one must keep a pure heart, be honest, not be greedy, and deceitful. She also recorded that story in her diary. She admires her mother very much.'

Life Lesson:

This is not just a story about honesty but also a story about integrity, where even torn paper must be kept within bounds, being straightforward, honest, and not greedy for material things, making oneself a bad person. A person, though not wealthy, but honest, and not greedy, always earns the respect of everyone.

Story:

'Once there was a king who, despite his old age, had no heir to pass the throne to. The king wanted to find someone with enough talent and virtue to inherit the throne. He decided to give each person in the kingdom a bundle of wheat and commanded: 'Whoever can yield the most wheat will be bestowed with the royal inheritance; those who fail to produce wheat will be punished!'.

During the harvest season, everyone rushed to bring wheat back to the capital, except for one boy who arrived empty-handed. The boy humbly knelt before the king and confessed his wrongdoing for failing to grow the wheat the king had given him.

People whispered and gossiped, but only the king laughed and said: 'The wheat seeds were already boiled; how could they sprout into crops? Those bundles of wheat over there were not harvested from my seeds!...'.

The boy was granted the throne again thanks to his honesty and bravery'.

Life Lesson:

One's pride should lie in maintaining honesty, integrity, and especially in daring to speak up with one's true voice, unafraid of difficulties, unafraid of controversies, unafraid of danger, bravely and honestly admitting even one's own mistakes. Because, in the end, honesty and courage always prevail.

Story:

'During the weekly flag salute ceremony, Hoa, a student in class 3B, was honored by the entire school for her honesty demonstrated through the act of 'finding lost items and returning them to their rightful owners'.

According to the principal's recount, last Thursday, class 3B finished school earlier than the other classes. On the way back home, Hoa found a box typically used to store items in gold and silver shops. Initially, Hoa only intended to pick up the box to use as a toy, but upon picking it up, she discovered a necklace inside.

Since it was already quite hot, Hoa brought the box home, and in the afternoon, Hoa's father took her to the district police station to seek help in finding the owner. The officers praised Hoa for her honesty and integrity. The news was quickly spread, and just a day later, the person who had lost the box came to the police station to retrieve their belongings.

The person who had lost the box was an elderly man, and the necklace was a gift he had bought to give to his daughter, who was about to get married. However, due to carelessness, he had dropped it. Upon finding the necklace, the man was very happy and asked the police officers for Hoa's phone number and address to express his gratitude. He visited Hoa's home and sent her some money as a token of appreciation, but Hoa refused to accept it, not because of the amount, but because she said it was the right thing to do for everyone.

Finally, the man went to Hoa's school to inform the teachers and praise Hoa for her actions. During the flag salute ceremony, Hoa was awarded a certificate of merit by the principal for her honesty and integrity. The principal emphasized that this is a shining example for all students in the school to learn and emulate. Hoa's actions truly represent a meaningful deed, demonstrating the honesty of Hoa herself and of the Vietnamese people in general. We should learn from this honesty to become exemplary students, as instructed by Uncle Ho to young pioneers: 'modest, honest, courageous''.

Life Lesson:

Hoa is just an 'unknown' name in this story of honesty. In fact, everyone can become a Hoa with a beautiful act of honesty and integrity. This is praise, encouragement for those with beautiful hearts like Hoa.'

Story:

Last week, our school initiated a campaign to promote academic excellence and adherence to the Five Teachings of Uncle Ho. I did a good deed by finding a lost item and returning it to its rightful owner. On Thursday afternoon, on my way home from school, across the deserted stretch, I spotted a small black bag lying in the middle of the road. I picked it up and walked slowly, scanning for its owner.

After a while, still no one in sight. I guessed the person who lost the bag had gone far or didn't know they dropped it. If they knew, they would probably be searching on the routes they had passed. Who could they be? A senior official, a worker, a soldier? What did the bag contain? Why were there no documents, papers, or money? Numerous questions flooded my mind. I looked around again. The motorcyclists or cyclists passing by didn't pay attention to me, standing bewildered with the bag on my shoulder and the strange bag in my hand.

I pondered, hesitated: Should I return it? If I don't, who would know to blame me? With money, I could buy this comic book, this new outfit, and the toys I've been longing for. Imagining that moment, I liked it, my steps seemed faster, lighter.

Suddenly, the voice of the principal during the campaign echoed around: 'Remember Uncle Ho's Five Teachings, strive for good learning, good cultivation to become good children, good students...' No! I shouldn't covet others' belongings! I must return it! The owner of this bag will be overjoyed to find it back. But how would I know who lost it? It's best to hand it over to the police.

At noon, the district police station was deserted, with only one officer on duty. Seeing me hesitating at the door, he asked:

- What's the matter, kid?

- Sir, I found this bag. I brought it here, hoping you could return it to the owner!

Taking the bag from me, he smiled and patted my head before saying:

- You're a good kid, not greedy for lost items! Let me check what's inside so I can make a record! Then he took out a stack of house ownership papers, vehicle ownership papers, and over two million in cash. He recorded each item in detail and asked me to write my name and address below.

The following Monday morning, I was commended by the principal and the head teacher during the flag salute. The enthusiastic applause from the whole school made me very emotional. In the evening, my family welcomed a stranger.

It was the owner of the bag. He thanked me profusely and gave me a hundred thousand to buy books or toys, but I gently refused.

My parents were very happy that I did a good deed. The sincere praise from everyone was the most precious reward. Remembering that story, I still feel happy.'

Life Lesson:

A girl who listens and remembers what adults teach, learns good things at school, and acts on them is indeed a commendable deed. A girl praised for her honesty will always remember and do that when possible. And surely, she has every reason to be proud.

Story:

On a beautiful day, a father and son went fishing together at the lake. Fishing was allowed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the first 30 minutes, the son hadn't caught any fish, feeling disappointed he said:

- 'It's been 30 minutes and still no fish. What's going on?'

- 'Don't fret, son. Fishing requires patience,' the father replied.

Two hours passed, nearing the end of the allowed time and still no catch. In the final minutes, the son's fishing rod trembled, and the father hurried over to help reel in the fish. A large fish was caught, and the father asked:

- 'Son, what time is it?'

- 'It's 4:10, dad,' the son replied.

- 'Son, look, it's already 4:10, but fishing time only goes until 4. We have to release this fish back into the lake,' the father said.

- 'But when I caught this fish, it wasn't past 4 yet, dad. So, this fish still belongs to me,' the saddened son responded.

- 'Rules are rules, son. We mustn't break them,' the father insisted.

- 'But nobody saw us fishing past the time, dad.'

- 'Remember, son, there's always someone watching, someone who knows everything we do,' the father said.

With that, the father released the fish back into the lake, and they walked home together.

Lesson: 'Let your 'yes' be yes, and your 'no' be no, anything more than this comes from the evil one.'

Story:

One day, a beggar knocked on the door of a grand castle. He said to the steward, 'For the love of God, please offer something to this poor man.' The steward replied, 'I must consult the lady of the house.' The lady, a haughty woman, said, 'Give this poor man a loaf of bread. Just one. Give him the one from yesterday.'

The beggar returned to his spot under the tree where he spent his days and nights, sat down, and pulled out the loaf of bread he had just received to eat. Suddenly, his teeth hit something very hard. He was astonished to find a golden ring adorned with a diamond and a pearl.

'I am truly fortunate!' the beggar thought to himself. 'I could sell this ring and have enough money for a long time.'

However, the beggar's honesty immediately halted that thought: 'No, I will find the owner of this ring and return it to them.' Engraved inside the ring were the initials 'J. X.' The beggar went straight to the store and inquired about the telephone directory. In the whole town, there was only one family whose name began with the letter 'X': the Xofaina family.

Determined to live honestly, the beggar hurried to find the Xofaina household. To his great surprise, it was the family that had given him the loaf of bread. He said to the steward, 'I found this golden ring in the loaf of bread your mistress gave me.' The lady of the house was overjoyed: 'Thank goodness, we found the ring lost last week. I dropped it while supervising the baker making bread. 'J. X.' are the initials of my name, Josermina Xofaina.'

After some thought, the lady of the house said, 'Give that poor man anything he wants as a reward, as long as it's not too expensive.' The steward turned to the beggar and asked, 'For your noble act, what reward do you wish to receive?' The beggar replied, 'Give me a loaf of bread! That's enough for me.' Seeing his lack of greed, the lady suddenly came up with the idea to keep him around to watch over the storeroom in the house. From then on, she was completely at ease, never fearing theft again. And the beggar had a job for life.'

Life Lesson: A beggar with a commendable heart, even in poverty, does not make a person vile. In fact, in such harsh conditions, it only makes one's honesty shine brighter and be duly rewarded.

Story:

In the first midterm exam, the teacher assigned the students to write an essay describing a garden at home and bring it to class. The night before submitting the paper, Hương Thảo struggled to write and sighed, 'Why is this so difficult? It's because we don't have a garden at home. How am I supposed to do this midterm exam? I wish my older sister were here, she's good at literature, she would definitely help me.'

Suddenly, Hương Thảo had the idea that her older sister had also attended the same school before. Perhaps the teachers had assigned her the same garden essay. Indeed, Hương Thảo found her sister's essay and brought it back to her desk.

Hương Thảo pondered whether copying like this would be cheating, but if she didn't, she wouldn't have a paper to submit to the teacher tomorrow. Besides, the teacher wouldn't know Hương Thảo copied her sister's essay because it was written seven years ago, and the teacher had just transferred to their school. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to copy it and submit it to the teacher, promising herself it would be the only time she cheated.

When the teacher graded Hương Thảo's paper, coincidentally, a male teacher walked in and read the essay. He immediately recognized it, as he had taught Hương Thảo's sister years ago. However, the teacher overlooked it and praised Hương Thảo for writing a very good and emotional essay. The teacher continued:

- 'Mr. Hùng from the adjacent class confided to me that a student in his class cheated on the math test. Although the teacher discovered and reprimanded the student, even though you promised not to repeat the offense, the teacher was still very saddened. I hope our class has no one who commits this act of cheating.'

Hương Thảo regretted deeply and went to the teacher to apologize: 'I'm sorry, teacher, I was wrong, I cheated to write this essay, I will never do it again.'

- 'I know everything now, you're very obedient, knowing to admit your mistake is good enough. Always be honest and don't repeat it, okay?'.

Life Lesson: Always be honest with yourself, whether your grades are low or high, it's your own effort that counts.