The hare and the tortoise
Once upon a time, in a dense forest, there resided a haughty hare, who was immensely proud of his remarkable speed. He always boasted about it and mocked the tortoise, his neighbor, for being sluggish. The hare often belittled the tortoise by saying, “You have legs just like mine, but I am certain that you cannot run as fast as I do, or perhaps you cannot run at all.” Listening to this constant taunt, the tortoise got irked and responded by saying, “You can surely run fast, no doubt about that, but I think you can talk even faster than you can run.” Feeling challenged, the hare readily agreed to run a race with the tortoise. However, the hare was confident that the tortoise would not stand a chance against his swift speed. In a tone of ridicule, the hare said, “Friend tortoise, you are merely wasting your time and mine as well. You know my speed, and it would be as easy as picking some soft grass from the field to beat you in the race.” Undeterred, the tortoise responded by saying, “Indeed, I am aware of your speed, but there is one thing that I know, which you do not. And that’s precisely what I am going to take advantage of.”
After this, they both approached a wise fox and asked him to officiate their race. The fox agreed and laid down some rules for the race, and set the destination as well. Finally, the race commenced, and the hare began at a breakneck pace, leaving the tortoise far behind. The hare was supremely confident of his victory and stopped midway to rest, thinking to himself, “What a fool I am! I have run so fast for nothing. Why did I exert myself in the hot sun while that slow-moving tortoise is nowhere in sight? I should start running again when he is about to catch me, and until then, I can rest for a while.” As the hare was exhausted, he dozed off. On the other hand, the tortoise ran continuously, as fast as he could, without any pause. On his way, he stumbled upon the sleeping hare and silently moved ahead. When the hare woke up, he realized that the tortoise had already crossed the finish line, and he had lost the race. Feeling ashamed and embarrassed, the hare conceded defeat. The tortoise won the race, and he felt extremely content and proud of his accomplishment. From that day on, the hare learned that deeds matter more than words and that being overconfident could lead to one's downfall.
Moral :
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