Once upon a time, a tortoise called Timmy lived in a quiet pond. The hare Harry would often boast about how fast he was. One fine sunny afternoon, while basking in the sun, he started bragging again.
“You all might as well concede the race to me now,” he said. “No animal can beat me!”
“Maybe,” said Timmy slowly, “you think you’re the fastest, but I could give you a run for your money.”
The hare laughed so hard he nearly fell over. “You mean you’d like to race against me? How amusing!”
Timmy replied, “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Let’s race tomorrow morning at the sun’s first light.”
“Done!” proclaimed Harry, full of confidence. “You will not be sorry for this, old tortoise.”
The next morning, as the sun began to rise, Timmy and Harry stood at the starting line. After a quick pause, they took off, the hare bounding along in joyous leaps, while the tortoise plodded forward step by step.
Not wanting to lose, Harry kept an eye on Timmy. When he saw that the tortoise was far behind, he decided he could take a little nap. So he laid down on the grassy knoll and swiftly dozed.
Meanwhile, Timmy continued walking, step by step, toward the finish line. Eventually, he passed the sleeping hare. However, when Timmy reached the finish line, he turned and called to the hare, whose name he politely announced.
Harry woke up with a start and jumped up, looking around desperately for Timmy. However, no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t catch up, and Timmy the tortoise had already claimed victory.
The other animals proclaimed, “Timmy is indeed the winner! Slow and steady wins the race.”
With a loud, proud voice, Timmy said, “And never forget that wisdom can win over speed!”
Harry was very mean and said nothing, but from that day onward, he never bragged again.
Every parent knows:
The Race Is Not Always To The Swift.