Slow and steady wins the race
A hare is a very speedy animal.
It can run very fast. But a tortoise moves very slowly. It has a heavy shell on
its back. Its legs are short. So, it can't move as fast as other animals. Once
upon a time, a hare was very proud of his speed and cut a joke at a tortoise.
One day she said to a tortoise, "I pity you for your speed."
"How can you walk with such a heavy shell on your back?" "You
need not worry friend, hare," said the tortoise. "If you like, I can
run a race with you." The hare sneered, "What do you want to run a
race! Very well, I am ready. I accept your challenge." At once, both of
them started. In a moment the hare got ahead of the tortoise.
The hare ran swiftly and soon was
far ahead of the tortoise. Confident of his victory, he looked back and saw the
tortoise plodding along slowly. Amused, the hare thought, “That poor
tortoise will take forever to reach the finish line. I have plenty of time.”
Feeling smug, the hare decided to
rest under a shady tree. “I’ll take a short nap,” he said to himself. “By the
time I wake up, I’ll still have time to win the race easily.”
Meanwhile, the tortoise kept
moving steadily, step by step, without stopping. He didn’t look back or worry
about the hare. He just focused on the path ahead.
Time passed, and the hare slept
longer than he intended. When he finally woke up, he stretched and yawned, then
looked toward the finish line—and was shocked to see the tortoise just a few
steps away from it!
Panicking, the hare dashed
forward with all his speed, but it was too late. The tortoise crossed the
finish line just before the hare could catch up.
All the animals who had gathered
to watch the race cheered for the tortoise. The hare hung his head in shame.
The tortoise smiled and
said, “Slow and steady wins the race.”