While wandering a deserted beach at dawn, I saw a man bending and throwing as he walked the endless stretch toward me. As he came near, I could see that he was throwing starfish — abandoned on the sand by the tide — back into the sea.
When he was close enough, I asked him why he was working so hard at this strange task. He said that when the sun arose, it would dry the starfish and they would die.
I told him he was foolish because there were thousands of starfish on miles and miles of beach...one person alone could never make a difference.
He smiled as he picked up the next starfish.
“It makes a difference to this one,” he said,
as he hurled it far into the sea.
I abandoned my writing and spent the morning throwing starfish.
~ Isaac Asimov
