The Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey

by William J. Bennett

This companion to THE BOOK OF VIRTUES traces life's lessons from those first taught in the home to the countless choices that call virtues into play as we grow older. Offers many moral examples from great works of literature and exemplary stories from history, ranging from tales of Washington Irving to the folklore of Africa.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Literature, Short Stories, Education, Christian, Poetry

824 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 1995

About the author

William J. "Bill" Bennett is a politician and author who served in the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, as chief of National Endowment for the Humanities and later Secretary of Education under Reagan, and Drug Czar under Bush. He is a nationally well-known figure of political and social conservatism and authored many books on politics, ethics, and international relations.

Reviews

[Søren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, and The Book of Virtues, were my childhood storytime mainstay. Needless to say, I love these books and know them almost by heart!

[Poiema · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner, an excellent anthology in the same vein asThe Book of Virtues. The choice of readings is excellent, each reading is short but rich in moral import. These are pieces that form the canon of our Western heritage, stories to read, reread, and pass along to future generations. The audio version is outstanding. A great resource for Homeschoolers, or anyone who wants to brush up on wisdom literature.

[Faythe Swanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this book because I found most of the short stories to be quite disturbing & depressing! Although there were a number of stories that I found to be inspiring & thought-provoking, I would say that I was mostly disappointed in the amount of stories that left me feeling down in my spirit. This book was not at all what I thought it was going to be.

[Vivian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful companion to "the book of virtues" ♡

[Isabel Rebelo da Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories, passed from generations to generations, from all over the world, some of them from ancient times. Many of them are from modern authors. These stories are about values, principles and virtues, which help shape human character. I highly recommend this book to teachers and parents with young children and beyond.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library with the intention of having "family reading time". I read the stories myself and kept a list of the stories that I thought my 13 year old daughter would be most interested in. Dang teenagers... she didn't want anything to do with it! As for myself, there were some stories I really liked and others, not so much.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book on my shelf for a long time and just started reading it the other day. Why did I wait so long? It is very enjoyable, so much so that I have shared some of the stories with my grandson. He liked them as well. This is a great resource book to share with your family. Turn off the TV and read a book (OUT LOUD)some evening. It is great fun and brings your loved ones closer.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of collecting stories to teach what is honorable, to show good and bad, etc has been done before -- with greater success. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone. In fact, I can't decide to give it away or throw it away.

[Brenda Cregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What wonderful memories I have of reading from this compilation to my little darlings. Those were the days!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book. Read portions of it aloud to kids frequently. Every home should have this book. Love Bennett.

[Nathália O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

SENSACIONAL! Simplesmente um livro que todos deveriam ler ainda pequenos. Quando criancinha minha mãe lia bastante pra mim, e marca TANTO a gente que hoje, depois de mais de duas décadas eu ainda me lembro das histórias e suas lições de vida. Ensina coisas muito importantes mesmo, e engraçado que mesmo sendo criancinha as historias mexiam muito comigo. Infelizmente perdemos o livro, mas assim que tiver oportunidade quero muito comprar o volume dois, e o um que nunca li.

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of The Moral Compass. There were many narrators, which I found to be distracting. The stories themselves ranged from pretty good to downright disturbing. I would not recommend this book to anyone. There is already a much better book out there that teaches right from wrong and how to distinguish good from bad. It's The Holy Bible. It does it much better than this book.

[Sunandlolli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my all time favorite. There are so many stories that have been read, and re-read over the years. I have gifted this book several times to new parents and friends. The book is so much a favorite in my collection, the spine has broken, and the favorite stories and poems are clearly earmarked by the hands of time.

[Jesse Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A substantial collection of poems, fables, and short stories. Some excellent, some ok, but all of them interesting and with a lesson to offer.

This particular collection is special to me because of all the memories of Gramps reading them to me. Now, in between novels, I read this collection to my daughter.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Lots of great stories.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book has many helpful life stories. Will make you reevaluate your life.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many good stories to share when reading with children. They provide a great moral base from working hard to being kind. ❤️

[Hailey McCain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these stories! I still go back and read them sometimes. I've read them to my nephews.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reminder how much our moral compass has diminish. A very good book for moral advise.

[Makia Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alot of people had alot to say about this book after awhile the theme was redundant ended up needing audio to help me finish

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another reading of this wonderful book. Love that my boys enjoy reading and re-reading this collection of stories, myths, and poems.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Bailey Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so worn out because I read various parts of this book so many times growing up. I absolutely love this book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection really got me contemplating which stories are of most worth, especially when it comes to telling them to my children. Included in the collection are "The Garden of Frost Flowers" by Francis Jenkins Olcott (great description with a lovely "disobey your parents and you will die" message; severals works of cannonized literature, such as "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty and "The Drover's Wife" by Henry Lawson; poetry ("Opportunity"); and many good stories ("Rip Van Winkle," "The Little Girl Who Dared," and "Jinkyswoitmaya"). I borrowed my copy. I've read "The Knights of the Silver Shield" to my kids and want to read a few more to them before returning it. I should just get my own...

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is over 800 pages and I confess I haven't reard very much of it. It is a collection of short stories gathered from all over the world from a variety of peoples and cultures. These stories are those used in different societies throughout the ages to teach morals and values. A check-out from the library is not a sufficient way to use this book. It needs to be owned. So I am adding it to my I-want-to-own-this-book-list. I actually read a few stories to my 4 year old daughter who really liked them. The next day she asked me to tell her more stories from that "adult" book. (Don't worry she only meant that it didn't have pictures, which makes it an adult book and not a kid book.)

[Margaret Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a nice collection of stories, essays, poems, and published private writings, but maybe a little bit too many. Perhaps the abundance of entries is meant to capture as many different reading perspectives as possible. One of my own favorites is an 1823 letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams in the final chapter entitled “What We Live By.”

Generally, the take-away is to remind ourselves to relax our natural self-centeredness and to practice kindness to others. And—especially important—to teach children from an early age to live in such a way. Bill Bennett does his readers a service by collecting these examples of humans over the ages doing both “right” and “wrong”—sometimes both by the same individual.

[Avery Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very persuasive. It made you think about life as if you lived life in a different perspective. I have never thought as myself as a "bad" child, but reading stories that make you think as much as this, I would now consider myself a "bad" person. This book not only brought back nostalgia to early days when I would do stunts like those in this book for fun, but this book also taught me a lesson. That lesson is that you are never too old to behave well. Just because your personality changes, doesn't mean that your behavior has to as well. I have never read such an influential book in my lifetime.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories in this book, as well as the cast who read them. Normally, I like only one narrator when it comes to audio books, but I think the producer did a great job picking out voices to go with the stories. If you need bedtime reading for your children, or just want some bedtime reading yourself, I would most definitely give this book a chance. The audio I listened to is an abridged version of the book.

[Jasmine W7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

dis book is real good. a fabulous book for parents to read to their children before going to bed. parents and their children will learn morals from the touching stories. also a good way for parents to bond with their kids.