The Parable of the Tortoise and the Hare

Return to Main Margie's Messages Home Page (Full List of Topics)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The Race is not Always to the Swift

A tortoise one day met a hare who made fun of her.

“My, my, you move so slowly, you will never get far!“

The tortoise, upset by the hare’s manner, said, “Let’s have a race and see who is faster.“

The hare laughed and said, “You must be joking! But all right, we’ll see who reaches the other side of the hill first.“

Off he ran, leaving the tortoise far behind.

After a while, the hare stopped to wait for the tortoise to come long. He waited and waited till he felt sleepy.

“I might as well take a nap,“ he thought. “Even if she catches up with me, I can easily win the race.”

So he lay down under a shady tree and closed his eyes.

When the tortoise passed the sleeping hare, she walked on slowly but steadily. By the time the hare woke up, the tortoise was near the finishing line. He ran as fast as he could, but he could not catch up with the tortoise.

Lesson: The race is not always to the swift

Printable PDF Version of This Parable