The Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey
by William J. Bennett
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"The Moral Compass, the inspiring and instructive companion volume to The Book of Virtues, offers many more examples of good and bad, right and wrong, in great works from literature and in exemplary stories from history. Organized by the stages along life's journey, The Moral Compass moves from the first character lessons taught in the home, which shape the way children see life, to the countless choices that call the virtues into play as they grow older. The stories and poems serve as show more reference points on a moral compass, guiding the reader through the ethical and spiritual challenges along the pathway of life: leaving home, entering into marriage, easing the burdens of others, nurturing one's children, and fulfilling the obligations of citizenship and leadership." "The Moral Compass offers well-known examples from Western history and mythology along with a wider selection of tales and folklore from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Drawing on familiar authors such as Hans Christian Andersen, Washington Irving, Leo Tolstoy, and John Milton, as well as on intriguing but forgotten tales from centuries past, the stories in the Moral Compass are literary and evocative, designed to inspire as well as instruct."--Jacket. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A compilation of stories from ancient times to modern and coming diverse areas of the globe. The best stories tend to be from great writers like Tolstoy, Dickens and Chekov the retellings are a hit and miss affair depending on the quality of the writer. Some are great and some seem smarmy. Another critism of the book is similar to that of Book of Virtues in that there are a lot of American history stories which don't have the same significance for Canadians.
Summary:"The Moral Compass, the inspiring and instructive companion volume to The Book of Virtues, offers many more examples of good and bad, right and wrong, in great works from literature and in exemplary stories from history. Organized by the stages along life's journey, The Moral Compass moves from the first character lessons taught in the home, which shape the way children see life, to the countless choices that call the virtues into play as they grow older. The stories and poems serve as reference points on a moral compass, guiding the reader through the ethical and spiritual challenges along the pathway of life: leaving home, entering into marriage, easing the burdens of others, nurturing one's children, and fulfilling the show more obligations of citizenship and leadership." "The Moral Compass offers well-known examples from Western history and mythology along with a wider selection of tales and folklore from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Drawing on familiar authors such as Hans Christian Andersen, Washington Irving, Leo Tolstoy, and John Milton, as well as on intriguing but forgotten tales from centuries past, the stories in the Moral Compass are literary and evocative, designed to inspire as well as instruct."--Jacket show less
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Author Information

111+ Works 22,552 Members
William John Bennett (born July 3, 1943) is an American politician and political theorist. He served as United States Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988. He also held the post of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (or "Drug Czar") under George H. W. Bush. Bennett was born in Brooklyn but later moved to Washington, D.C., show more where he attended Gonzaga College High School. He graduated from Williams College and went on to get a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in Political Philosophy. He also has a J.D. from Harvard Law School. William J. Bennett is Codirector of Empower American and Chairman and Founder of K12, an Internet based elementary and secondary school. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife, Elayne, and their two sons. (Publisher Provided) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Alternate titles
- The book of virtues
- Dedication
- To America's teachers: In homes, schools, and churches.
- First words
- Introduction | Like The Book of Virtues, this book aims to aid in the task of the moral eduction of the young.
Classifications
- Genre
- Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 808.8038 — Literature & rhetoric Literature, rhetoric & criticism Rhetoric and collections of literary texts from more than two literatures Literature Collections > By Theme
- LCC
- PN6014 .M36 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Collections of general literature
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 2,012
- Popularity
- 10,418
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.85)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 13



















































