Free Inspirational Stories
Bio Snippets of 8 Inspirational Icons
On this page: Free inspirational stories and videos - Inspirational short story or bio snippet of people who followed their cause or dream.
Snippets and free inspirational stories or motivational videos from the biographies of real people, can be a tremendous morale booster - real people that followed through their dreams or causes they believed in, by taking in their stride the difficulties and hardships that fell upon them during their endeavors. History is replete with such inspirational people. While it impossible to shortlist just a few of these icons, here is a small such attempt, nevertheless, to list out some of the truly inspiring men and women.
The intent is to not provide their full biographies, which you can of course find in Wikipedia, but instead to just focus on the initial hurdles they had to face, and how they had overcome them to get to where they did.
Skimming through these short, free inspirational stories will hopefully get you going towards your goals with much more vigor, and let you surmount the obstacles that you will run into in the process, just a bit more easily. And to make it a more enjoyable read, inspiring videos of these famous personalities are also included.
So read on.. Enjoy.. and Get inspired!
Only inspiring personalities that are currently living, or have lived in 20th century or later are included. Leaders who held official religious or political positions are not included.
Listed Alphabetically
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie rose from starvation and poverty to become the second richest person in the history of mankind, with net worth of $298 billion.
Christopher Gardner
Struggling, homeless and raising a toddler by himself, Chris Gardner's tenacity is on display for all to see in the movie "Pursuit of Happyness".
Elvis Presley
A shy, and an often bullied kid, with no money, and no formal music training - to a celebrated singer, and Rock and Roll icon. Was it easy?
Mahatma Gandhi
Truth, non-violence and simplicity - a far-fetched combination of weapons to have worked in today's world. But one man stuck to them, and effectively roused a nation to its freedom - inspiring many along the way.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa decided at 18 that her mission was to service the poor, and living with them is the only way to do it - did the difficulties she had to encounter, deter her from moving forward?
Oprah Winfrey
An impoverished, child-abused, teen mother - to a billionaire, and one of the most influential women in the world. How did that happen?
Sidney Poitier
A black, juvenile delinquent who went on to defy racial stereotyping, and broke through as one of the most successful Hollywood stars. And laid the path for many others to come!
Walt Disney
The man behind Mickey Mouse and Disneyland, did not fully succeed thrice previously, before pulling off the now legendary Walt Disney Productions.
This list is ever expanding, so keep a close watch here!

Of course, it is not fair to compare each of these extraordinary individuals with one another, because of the different times and circumstances they have lived or are living in, and the diverse range of their aspirations, goals and causes they believed in.But what brings them all under this common list of free inspirational stories, is the ONE thing they do have in common - and that is their determination to surge forward towards what they held close to their heart, in spite of the difficulties, obstacles and failures they have run into.
Here is to hoping you would do the same! Keep moving forward, onwards and upwards! To Your Success!
Who inspires YOU? Is your idol not in this list? Tell us about him or her. You will find out as you type, how writing about your inspiring hero can be such a mood-stimulant!
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