The Tortoise and the Hare

A hare was always laughing at a tortoise for being so slow. "Do you ever get anywhere?" the hare would ask, grinning. One day the tortoise had heard enough. "I'll race you," he said, "and I'll win." The hare laughed so hard he nearly fell over, but he agreed at once. They lined up at the starting oak, and a fox counted them off. The hare shot forward in a blur of dust, and within a minute the tortoise was nowhere in sight behind him. Certain of victory, the hare decided he had time to spare. He found a soft patch of grass under a tree and lay down. "I'll just rest my eyes a moment," he thought. "That tortoise won't pass me for hours." But the tortoise never stopped. He plodded past the sleeping hare without a sound, one slow step after another, never hurrying, never resting. The sun rose higher, and still the hare slept on, dreaming of easy victory. When the hare finally woke, the shadows had grown long. He stretched, yawned, and set off again at full speed — only to see the tortoise crossing the finish line just ahead of him. The animals who had gathered to watch cheered. The hare hung his head, and the tortoise said nothing at all. He simply smiled and rested his tired feet, having proven that slow and steady wins the race.