Long ago, there lived a hare who was very fast and very proud of it. Every day he teased a tortoise for being so slow.

One day, tired of the teasing, the tortoise calmly said, "Let's have a race, and we shall see who reaches that faraway tree first."

The hare laughed at the challenge but agreed at once, and all the animals of the forest gathered to watch.

The hare dashed off quickly and left the tortoise far behind. Feeling too confident, he said to himself, "I'm so far ahead, I'll just rest a little under this tree."

The hare fell into a deep sleep, while the tortoise kept walking slowly and steadily, one step after another, never stopping and never giving up.

When the hare finally woke up, he ran as fast as he could, but he found the tortoise had already crossed the finish line, winning the race through patience and steady effort.

The Lesson: Slow and steady, with patience and effort, wins the race.