AI-generated historical anecdotes from 100+ sources across every major civilization. A new story every day, never repeats.
A prompt system that turns any LLM into a cultural historian. Each day it generates a unique story with an original-language quote, a vivid narrative, and a surprising modern connection.
Copy the prompt from SKILL.md and paste it into any AI chat. That's it. No install, no dependencies.
Set it up as a cron skill for automated daily messages to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, or Discord. See setup instructions.
Use the prompt template with any scheduling system + API call (GitHub Actions, n8n, Make, etc.).
- Generates a new story every day from a pool of 100+ historical figures, epics, and traditions
- Research-backed — the agent web-searches to verify quotes, dates, and facts before writing (no hallucinated quotes)
- Original-language quotes — Latin, Arabic, Japanese, Ancient Greek, Old Norse, Sanskrit, Mandinka, and more
- Modern connections — each story links to something relevant today
- Never repeats — a history file tracks what's been covered
- Multiple formats — standard, Twitter thread, minimal, deep dive
- Agent reads the history file to see what's already been covered
- Picks a source from the pool, maximizing variety across civilizations
- Searches the web to find accurate quotes, dates, and lesser-known details
- Writes the story with original-language quote, narrative, and modern connection
- Delivers via your preferred channel
- Appends today's topic to the history file
No database, no API, no dependencies — just a prompt template + an LLM with web search access.
📜 Anansi the Spider — Ashanti Oral Tradition, West Africa
> "Ananse, the spider, owns all stories that are told."
> — Ashanti saying
The Story: Long ago, all stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God.
Anansi asked to buy them. Nyame named an impossible price: capture
a python, hornets, an invisible fairy, and a leopard. Anansi used
no force — only cleverness. He tricked each one into trapping
themselves...
💡 Modern Connection: Anansi is the original hacker — he doesn't
fight stronger opponents, he exploits their assumptions. Every
social engineering attack follows the Anansi pattern...
See 11 examples across civilizations in examples/.
daily-wisdom/
├── README.md ← You are here
├── SKILL.md ← Prompt templates (the actual product)
├── history.md ← Repeat tracker template
└── examples/ ← 11 sample outputs
├── african-sundiata.md ← Mali Empire
├── classical-marcus-aurelius.md ← Rome
├── classical-seneca.md ← Rome
├── fareast-musashi.md ← Japan
├── indian-chanakya.md ← India
├── islamic-ibn-sina.md ← Persia
├── mythology-anansi.md ← West Africa
├── mythology-gilgamesh.md ← Sumer
├── norse-havamal.md ← Scandinavia
├── turkic-nasreddin.md ← Anatolia
└── format-thread.md ← Twitter thread format
All traditions drawn equally — the agent maximizes variety across the full pool.
| Region | Key Sources |
|---|---|
| Classical | Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Heraclitus, Diogenes, Socrates |
| Far East | Sun Tzu, Musashi, Confucius, Laozi, Chanakya, Zen koans |
| African | Sundiata Keita, Mansa Musa, Anansi, Ubuntu, Timbuktu scholars |
| Islamic Golden Age | Ibn Sina, Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Khaldun, Mevlana, Ibn Battuta |
| Ancient & Myth | Gilgamesh, Prometheus, Egyptian wisdom, Zoroastrian, Sumerian proverbs |
| Norse & Celtic | Hávamál, Odin, Ragnarök, Viking sagas |
| Turkic & Central Asian | Dede Korkut, Orhon inscriptions, Manas, Nasreddin Hoca |
| Polynesian & Indigenous | Māui, Aboriginal Dreamtime |
| Renaissance & Modern | Machiavelli, Montaigne, Leonardo, Ada Lovelace, Tesla |
PREFERENCE: Favor [Classical/Far East/African/Norse/etc.] sources,
but still mix in other traditions regularly.
Write entirely in [Spanish/German/French/etc.].
Translate all quotes to [target language].
Use the Deep Dive variant in SKILL.md — longer stories, multiple quotes, more context.
- Copy this repo into your workspace:
git clone https://github.com/AytuncYildizli/daily-wisdom.git skills/daily-wisdom - Create history file:
cp skills/daily-wisdom/history.md memory/anecdote-history.md - Ask your agent: "Set up a daily wisdom cron at 07:30 using the daily-wisdom skill"
See SKILL.md for full cron configuration and all prompt templates.
- Specificity > generality: "In 1235, at the Battle of Kirina..." beats "An African king once..."
- Original language = impact: Even unreadable scripts create emotional resonance
- Modern connections must surprise: Not "this is relevant" but how it's relevant
- Vary the register: Profound → funny → dark → tactical → minimal
Add examples: examples/{region}-{subject}.md
PRs welcome for new traditions, better modern connections, translations, and format variants.
MIT
Works with any LLM. Optionally integrates with OpenClaw for automated daily delivery.