Five organizing principles inherent in every successful story – the passion with which it is told, the hero, the antagonist, the moment of awareness it contains and transformation that results – lie at the heart of our culture and are direct analogues of the psychological states described by the five elements of the pre-Socratic philosophers. Examples from the corporate, academic and political arenas are given to demonstrate how analysing stories using this model can aid in creating complete and compelling stories that are meaningful, memorable and transformative.