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7. Be Content With Your Natural
Abilities
One day an ass heard some grasshoppers chirping and loved
the melody.
The ass wished he could sing in the same way.
He asked
the grasshoppers what sort of food they lived on.
The ass thought
grasshopper food was the secret of their beautiful voices.
The
grasshoppers told the ass that they lived on dew.
After that the ass
decided that he would only eat dew.
A short time later he died of
hunger. |
8. No Excuse Will Satisfy A Tyrant
A wolf came upon an unprotected lamb, but didn't eat her
immediately.
The wolf decided to find a good excuse to eat the
lamb.
He said, "last year you insulted me very much."
The frightened
lamb pleaded, "last year I wasn't yet born."
Then the wolf complained,
" you feed from my grass".
The lamb trembled, but said, " I have not
yet eaten grass".
"Well," snarled the wolf, "you drink from my
well."
"Oh no!," bleated the lamb. "I drink only my mother's
milk."
The wolf lost patience.
"I must have my supper, whatever you
say," he snapped.
Then the wolf grabbed the lamb and ate
her
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9. You Never Know Who Might Help You In The
Future
A lion woke up when a mouse ran over his face.
The
angry lion caught the mouse and was about to kill him.
The terrified
mouse pleaded with the lion.
He said, "if you spare my life, I am sure
I can help you in the future",
The lion laughed at this idea, but let
the mouse go.
Not long after, the lion was caught by hunters and tied
to the ground.
Then the mouse heard the lion roaring.
He came and
gnawed through the ropes holding the lion captive.
"You laughed at the
idea I could help you," sighed the mouse.
"Now you can see that even a
mouse can help a lion sometimes."
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10. Unity Is Strength
A father had sons who were always
quarrelling.
They would not listen when he told them about the danger
of disagreement.
This father decided to give his sons a practical
lesson.
He took a bundle of sticks and asked each son in turn to break
the bundle.
None of his sons were able to do this.
Then the father
opened the bundle and gave his sons separate sticks.
Of course the sons
could break these sticks easily.
The father said, "Our family is like
this bundle of sticks.
While we are together, nothing can break
us.
When we are divided, our enemies will break us as easily as these
sticks."
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11. Don't Make An Enemy
Carelessly
A boy was hunting for locusts.
He
caught many locusts, but then almost picked up a scorpion by
mistake.
The scorpion showed his sting, and warned the boy.
"If you
picked me up," said the scorpion, "you would lose
everything." |
12. Where There Is No Need, There Is No
Value
A cock was scratching for food for himself and his hens.
Suddenly he found a precious stone, then sighed.
"If a man found
this jewel," said the cock, "he would pick it up and be rich.
However,
I have found something useless.
I would rather have piece of grain than
all the jewels in the world."
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