Once upon a time, there was a hare who loved to brag. “I’m the fastest animal in the forest!” he said to everyone. He loved to tease the slow, steady tortoise. “You’re so slow, you’ll never win a race!” the hare laughed.
But one day, the tortoise surprised him and said, “Let’s race and see who wins!”
The hare thought it was a joke and laughed. “You? Race me? This will be too easy!” But he agreed, and all the animals gathered to watch the race.
When the race began, the hare ran off as fast as he could, leaving the tortoise far behind. After a while, the hare looked back and saw that the tortoise was still far away. He thought, “I’m so far ahead, I’ll take a nap!” So, the hare curled up under a tree and fell asleep.
But the tortoise kept going, slowly but surely. He didn’t stop. He kept walking, step by step.
When the hare woke up, he saw the tortoise almost at the finish line! The hare jumped up and ran as fast as he could, but it was too late. The tortoise crossed the finish line first!
The forest animals cheered, and the hare learned a big lesson: being fast doesn’t always mean you’ll win. Slow and steady wins the race!
**Moral:** Never be overconfident, and remember that persistence and hard work are what truly lead to success.