2-1 The Gnat and the Bull
A gnat flew over a field one summer day. P
"Buzzzzzzzzzz," sang the happy gnat. P
After so much flying and buzzing, the gnat grew tired. P
"I must find a place to rest," said the gnat. P
He landed on the horns of a bull and had a short rest. P
After a few minutes the gnat decided to fly away. P
He said to the bull, "You must be glad that I am leaving now." P
The bull replied, "It does not matter to me. P
I didn't even notice you were there." P
We often think we are more important to others than we really are. P
(Small minds have great pride.) P
2-2 The Fox and the Cat
A proud fox once said to a cat, "I have one-hundred ways to escape danger! P
I must be the cleverest animal in the world!" P
The cat said, "I have only one way to escape danger." P
Just then, a pack of dogs came. P
The cat ran immediately into a tree and hid. P
Meanwhile, the fox thought about one way to escape. P
Then the fox thought about another way to escape. P
When the fox finally decided how he would escape, the dogs attacked him and killed him. P
(It is better to have one simple plan than one-hundred plans that will confuse you.) P
2-3 The Quack Frog
An old toad once told all his neighbors that he was a smart doctor. P
"I can cure any disease!" he said proudly. P
"I am the best doctor in the land!" he told everyone. P
The fox heard the news and came to see the toad. P
The fox looked at the toad for a few minutes. P
Then he said, "Mr. Toad, I have heard that you can cure any disease! P
But when I look at you, I can see that you are very sick. P
You have ugly skin and you cannot walk straight. P
People will not believe you are a great doctor if you are sick. P
Cure yourself first, otherwise you should get a different job!" P
(Before you can fix other people, fix yourself.) P
2-4 The Wolf and the Lion
A long, long time ago, a wolf stole a lamb from a farm. P
He carried it away so he could eat it at home. P
But the wolf ran into a hungry lion. P
"Give me that lamb!" P
The wolf could not do anything, and the lion took away the lamb. P
When the lion was a mile away, the angry wolf yelled, P
"You have no right to steal my lamb!" P
The lion laughed, "Your lamb? You stole the lamb from a farmer, P
so you have no right to say it is yours!" P
(A thief cannot complain when he is robbed.) P
2-6 The Mischievous Dog
Once there was a very bad dog. P
This dog tried to bite all the neighbors. P
The master decided to hang a wooden block around the dog's neck. P
"You will wear this wooden block so all the neighbors will know when you are coming." P
But the mischievous dog was also a stupid dog; and he was proud of his wooden block. P
He made as much noise as possible everywhere he walked. P
Then one day, a wise old dog said to the mischievous dog, P
"You should not be proud of that wooden block. P
Do you really want to be famous as a bad dog?" P
(It is not good to be famous for something bad.) P
2-7 The Fox and the Grapes
One day, a hungry fox saw a bunch of grapes hanging from a tree. P
"Oh, how delicious those grapes must be," thought the fox to himself. P
The fox jumped as high as he could, but he could not reach the grapes. P
"I will run first, and then jump," thought the fox. P
"Then I will be able to enjoy the delicious grapes!" P
But the fox still could not reach the grapes in the tree. P
After some time, the fox said angrily, P
"What a fool I am. Those grapes are probably not delicious after all. P
I don't want them." The fox walked away and never tasted the grapes. P
(We often pretend to hate something we cannot have.) P
2-8 The Hares and the Frogs
Hares, as you know, are easily scared. P
If they see even a small shadow, they will run away. P
One day, many years ago, all the hares had a great meeting and decided to kill themselves. P
They preferred to die than to live always in fear. P
"How should we kill ourselves?" argued the hares. P
Suddenly, the hares heard a great noise, and they all ran away into the woods. P
The hares soon ran to a pond where many frogs lived. P
Upon seeing the running hares, the frogs became scared and jumped into the water. P
"Look!" cried the hares. "Things are not so bad. There are even animals that are afraid of us!" P
(No matter how unfortunate you may be, there is always someone else more unfortunate.) P
2-9 The Swallow and the Other Birds
A farmer once planted many hemp seeds in his field. P
"Beware of that man," said the swallow to the other birds. P
"Make sure to pick up every one of those hemp seeds, or you will be sorry." P
The other birds did not listen to the swallow. P
"That swallow is too worried," agreed the other birds. P
"He does not know how to have fun," they said. P
That autumn, the hemp grew and the farmer made some rope. P
With this rope, he made a great net. P
Many birds became trapped in the net and died, P
and the swallow said, "I warned you about the farmer and his hemp. P
You birds did not listen, and now look what has happened!" P
(Destroy the seed of evil or it will grow up to ruin you.) P
2-11 The Wild Boar and the Fox
A wild boar was sharpening his horns on a tree. P
A careless fox walked by and said, P
"Why do you do that, silly boar? There is no danger around here." P
The fox laughed and laughed at the wild boar. P
He enjoyed making fun of his neighbors. P
"How silly you are! You sharpen your horns when there is no danger!" P
"I know there is no danger," replied the wild boar finally. P
"But when danger comes, I will not have time to sharpen my horns. P
So I will prepare now, or I will suffer later." P
(If you are prepared for war, you can have peace of mind.) P
2-12 The Wolf and the Goat
A hungry wolf saw a goat on the top of a cliff. P
The wolf could not get to the goat. P
"That is a very dangerous place for you," the wolf said. P
"You could fall down and hurt yourself!" P
The wolf pretended to be worried about the goat's safety. P
"Please come down. It is safe here, and you can eat all the grass you want!" P
The goat looked down at the wolf and said, P
"You seem to be very worried about me. P
How generous you are to offer me all your grass. P
But I know what you are really thinking about! You want to eat me!" P
(Do not accept a gift from a selfish person.) P
2-13 The Bull and the Goat
A bull got lost in a forest. P
As he was trying to find his way home, he saw a lion. P
He ran away from the lion and found a cave. P
This was the same cave to which a shepherd would bring his goats when it rained. P
When the bull entered the cave, P
he found a goat that had been left behind. P
"This is my cave," yelled the goat, as he began ramming the bull. P
"I am not afraid of you, goat," said the bull. P
"I just don't want to be eaten by the lion." P
Then the goat continued to ram the bull angrily. P
"Listen, goat. When that lion leaves, I am going to beat you up." P
(It is wrong to take advantage of someone in distress.) P
2-14 The Man and the Lion
A man and a lion once walked through the jungle together. P
"Lions are the smartest, strongest animals in the world!" boasted the lion. P
"No, you are wrong," said the man. P
"Humans are the smartest and the strongest!" P
Just then, the man and the lion walked past a statue. P
It was a statue of a man killing a lion. P
"See there!" shouted the man. P
"Look how strong and smart the man is. P
He can kill the lion with just his hands!" P
The lion laughed, "That statue was built by a human. P
I am sure the statue would have been very different if a lion had made it." P
(A story changes depending on who tells it.) P
2-16 The Wolves and the Sheep
A pack of wolves came to a sheep pasture. P
The dogs protected the sheep from the hungry wolves. P
"Those wolves can never hurt us," thought the sheep. P
But the wolves made a plan to trick the sheep and the dogs. P
"Why do we hate each other?" said the wolves to the sheep. P
"If the dogs were not here, we would certainly become great friends!" P
"Yes, you are right!" said the sheep. P
"We will send away the dogs so we can all be friends." P
The stupid sheep were fooled and asked the dogs to leave. P
The very next day, the wolves ate all the sheep and had the greatest feast of their lives. P
(Do not trust your enemies.) P
2-17 The Fox and the Hedgehog
One day a fox fell into a deep hole and injured himself. P
He crawled into a cave and became very sick and weak. P
As the fox rested, a swarm of mosquitoes came and attacked the fox. P
They drank his blood until they were happy and full. P
Now the poor fox was almost dead. P
A hedgehog saw the dying fox and said, P
"Hello, friend! It makes me sad to see you in such pain. P
Would you like me to chase away the mosquitoes?" P
"No!" shouted the fox. P
"If you chase them away, new mosquitoes will come and drink the rest of my blood. P
Then I will surely die!" P
(Do not trade one evil for a greater evil.) P
2-18 The Oak and the Reeds
A great, tall oak tree stood next to a group of thin, short reeds. P
When the wind blew, the reeds were pushed down to the ground. P
The strong oak stood tall and boasted, P
"I am a mighty oak tree. The wind cannot hurt me. P
But you weak reeds should be sad. You fall down with just a small wind." P
The reeds replied, "Do not worry about us, great oak. P
The winds do not hurt us. We bend down so we won't break. P
But your end is near, we are certain." P
The next day, a great storm came. P
The reeds bent down low and did not break. P
The great oak, however, soon fell to the ground and died. P
(Strength and resistance do not always provide safety.) P
2-19 The Fox and the Leopard
A fox and a leopard had dinner together one night. P
After dinner, they spoke proudly to each other about their good looks. P
"I am the most attractive animal in the jungle!" boasted the leopard. P
"My fur is beautiful, and my spots are very special." P
The fox responded, "I am beautiful too! Just look at my bushy tail with its white tip." P
The fox knew that the leopard possessed much greater physical beauty. P
But the more the fox boasted, the angrier the leopard became. P
Finally, the fox said to the leopard, P
"You are right, Mr. Leopard. My fur is not as magnificent as yours. P
But it is also true that your intellect is not as great as mine! P
(Physical beauty is not as great as mental beauty.) P