Today I’m trotting out a new reading list – ten short stories I think are worth the price of

admission, both for their literary merit, and their ability to inspire and shed light on the human
condition in a way that is truthful, even if painful.  I think these ten do that, in the most powerful
ways possible.

 The Necklace, Guy Maupassant

The loan of a diamond necklace to a young woman for a society ball teaches the lesson that what
glitters does not always shine.

It is the lives we encounter that make life worth living.

― Guy de Maupassant

 Early Autumn, Langston Hughes

In this story we read about a chance meeting with a former boyfriend on the street.  The
encounter gives a woman pause for regret on choices made, emphasizing the idea that choices
made now can lead to regret later.

I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if
you really want to go.
― Langston Hughes

 A Simple Heart, Gustave Flaubert

In this short motivational story we read about an uneducated woman, a life-long domestic who
lives to love, showing us why we should all love to live.

Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough.

― Gustave Flaubert

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