One sunny day during the warm months of summer, a grasshopper was chirping and hopping about in a field. An ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was picking up from the road.
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the grasshopper, “instead of working so hard?”
“I am helping to store food for the winter,” said the ant, “and recommending you to do the same.”
“Why bother about winter?” said the grasshopper; “We have got plenty of food at present.” But the ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grains from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the grasshopper knew:
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.