THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE
The hare laughed at the tortoise's feet but the tortoise declared, 'I will beat
you in a race!' The hare replied, 'Those are just words. Race with me, and you'll
see! Who will mark out the track and serve as our umpire?' 'The fox,' replied
the tortoise, 'since she is honest and highly intelligent.' When the time for
the race had been decided upon, the tortoise did not delay, but immediately
took off down the race course. The hare, however, lay down to take a nap, confident
in the speed of his feet. Then, when the hare eventually made his way to the
finish line, he found that the tortoise had already won.
The story shows that many people have good natural abilities which are ruined
by idleness; on the other hand, sobriety, zeal and perseverance can prevail
over indolence. |