This story teaches kids a lesson about perseverance. Most of us learn to quit too early as young people. Read this story together and talk about the ways we should keep going even after we fail.
Three Feet From Gold: A Story about Perseverance
A man moved out West to mine for gold. He bought a plot of land and got to work. He put his entire life savings into the machinery he needed to find that gold. At first, it was a success. He found some gold! Then he borrowed money from friends and family to strike for more gold.
He went back to work, but there was no more gold to be found. He spent two more years of digging without success. Finally, he decided to quit. He sold the equipment and the land and took a train back home.
The new owner kept digging. He struck gold just three feet from where the first man stopped. He made millions of dollars because he chose to keep going.
Discussion Questions
- Why did the first man quit?
- What are some activities people your age give up too early?
- What are some activities in school and sports that require hard work even after failure?
The greatest success comes just one step beyond the feeling of failure.
A much longer version of this story first appeared in Napoleon Hill’s classic book, Think and Grow Rich. In his version of the story, the man’s name was Darby and the point of the story was the lesson he learned from the experience. Darby got home and started selling insurance. This time he would never quit because he realized that desire can be turned into gold. He repeated to himself, “I stopped three feet from gold, but I will never stop because men say ‘no’ when I ask to buy insurance.” He became one of the top insurances salesmen in the country.
I also came across the story in Nick Saban’s book, How Good Do You Want to Be?. His version of the story is much shorter and he originally heard it from his dad.
Here is a popular meme that expresses the point of the story well:
DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THIS STORY AND QUESTIONS
Download a PDF of this story along with the questions for reflection or discussion.
