The Hare and the Tortoise

Once upon a time there was a boastful hare that every animal in the forest knew. He bragged about his speed to everyone: "Nobody can beat me! I am faster than the wind, quicker than lightning!"

One day, while he was boasting again, the old tortoise slowly came up to him. "Brother Hare," she said, "since you are so fast, will you race me?"

The hare laughed so hard he fell over. "You? By the time you take a step I could finish the race ten times!" But the tortoise insisted. At last the day of the race was set. All the animals lined up on both sides of the road. The owl gave the signal: "One, two, three, go!"

The hare shot off like an arrow. In a few seconds he was out of sight. The tortoise took one step, then another, then another... and set off slowly down the road.

When the hare reached the halfway point he looked back. The tortoise was nowhere to be seen. "Finishing this early would be boring," he said. "I'll take a little nap and run again later." He lay down under a shady tree and closed his eyes. The air was warm, the grass was soft. He fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile the tortoise never stopped. She passed the flowers, climbed over the stones, walked on without resting. She did not even wake the hare as she passed him. Step by step she drew closer to the finish line.

The hare woke to the sound of the animals cheering. He rubbed his eyes and saw the tortoise just one step from the finish! He ran with all his might, but it was too late. The tortoise crossed the line, and the animals lifted her into the air.

The hare arrived out of breath, head bowed. The tortoise smiled at him: "Being fast is a fine thing. But keeping going, even slowly, without ever stopping, is finer still."

The hare learned something very important that day. He never looked down on anyone again. And whenever he started a task, he whispered to himself: "Don't stop, keep going. Like the tortoise."