Short Stories with Moral Lessons

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Complete Notes

English Composition
Stories with
Moral Lessons
For College
Students

Saif Ullah Zahid

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Contents
1. Honesty is the Best Policy ....................................................................................................3
2. A Friend In Need is A Friend Indeed ....................................................................................4
3. Union is Strength .................................................................................................................5
4. The Dove and the Bee (Tit for tat) ........................................................................................6
5. The Foolish Stag (All that glitters is not gold) .......................................................................7
6. The King and the Spider (Try try again) ...............................................................................8
7. Greed is Curse .....................................................................................................................9
8. As You Sow, So Shall You Reap........................................................................................10
9. Look Before You Leap .......................................................................................................11
10. Nip the Evil in the Bud ....................................................................................................12
11. Slow and Steady Wins the Race.....................................................................................13
12. Might is Right..................................................................................................................14
13. Necessity is the Mother of Invention ...............................................................................15
14. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine ...........................................................................................16
15. A Rolling Stone Gathers no Moss ...................................................................................17
16. God Helps those Who Helps Themselves ......................................................................18
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1. Honesty is the Best Policy

Once there lived a wood-cutter in a village. He was very poor. He used to cut the
trees in the nearby forest to sell the wood in the market to earn money for his
family. One day, he was cutting a bough of a tree just on the bank of a river. By
chance, his axe slipped and fell into the river. He was helpless. His axe was the
only source of earning for him. He was too poor to buy a new axe. He started
crying bitterly.

The angel of mercy appeared before him. He asked the woodcutter why he was
crying. The woodcutter told him the whole matter. The angel took pity on him. He
dived into the river and came up with a golden axe. He asked the woodcutter if that
was his axe. The woodcutter told that that was not his axe.

The angel dived into the water again and appeared with a silver axe. The
woodcutter again refused to take that axe as that was not his. The angel dived again
and brought a bronze axe. The woodcutter did not accept this axe because that was
not his.

The angel dived fourth time and brought the iron axe. That was the real axe of the
woodcutter. The angel offered this axe to him. The woodcutter was overjoyed to
see his own axe. He accepted that at once.

The angel was greatly impressed by his honesty. He gave him other three axes as
the reward of his honesty.

Moral Lesson: Honesty is the best policy

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2. A Friend In Need is A Friend Indeed

Once there lived two friends in a village. They were fast friends. They were
unemployed. They planned to go to city in search of employment. They promised
to help each other through thick and thin. They set out on a nice afternoon.

On their way, they had to pass a deep forest. While they were passing the forest,
they saw a bear coming towards them. They were in a fix. One of them knew how
to climb a tree. He instantly ran up a tree. The other did not know what to do.
There was nobody to help him. He was in trouble.

The bear was reaching close. He was to decide quickly. Suddenly he remembered
that the bears do not harm the dead. He held his breath and lay down on the ground
motionless. The bear came to him and sniffed at him. The bear was convinced that
he was dead. The beast left him unharmed and passed away.

When the bear was away, the friend on the tree came down. He asked his friend
what the bear had said in his ear. He told that the bear had advised him not to trust
a selfish friend. He then diverged his way from his friend.

Moral Lesson: A friend in need is a friend indeed

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3. Union is Strength

Once upon a time a farmer lived in a village. He had four sons. They were
quarrelsome and did not live with peace. Their hatred against each other irritated
the farmer. He advised them to live in peace but in vain. He thought of a plan.

He sent for his sons. When they came, he asked them to bring a bundle of sticks.
They brought the bundle and tied them tight with a sturdy rope. The farmer asked
his eldest son to break the bundle. He tried his best but could not break the bundle.
Then the farmer one by one asked his sons to break the bundle. No one could break
the bundle.

The farmer asked them to untie the sticks. Now he gave one stick to his every son
and asked them to break the sticks. They easily broke the sticks. The farmer said,
“Now see the power of unity. This is how unity makes you strong. The tied
sticks were powerful because they were united in one single bundle. None of you
could break them. Now when they are separated, you have easily broken them.
Similarly if you live with union, nobody can harm you. If you will live an
individual life, every one of you is easy to be destroyed. So the strength lies in
unity.”

This advice has a great influence on his sons and they started living in peace.

Moral Lesson: Union is strength

United we stand, divided we fall.
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4. The Dove and the Bee (Tit for tat)

One day a bee was drinking at a stream. Suddenly she slipped and fell into the
water. Despite of hard struggle, she could not manage to come out of water. A
dove was sitting on a nearby tree watching the whole scene. She thought of helping
the bee. She broke a leaf from the tree and dropped it near the bee. The bee got on
the leaf. Now his life was safe. The leaf reached the bank and the bee came out of
water. The bee was thankful to the dove.

After some days a hunter came in forest and he saw the dove sitting on a tree. He
aimed at her. Just as he was ready to fire, an insect stung on his hand and his aim
was missed. Hearing the sound of fire, the dove flew away. The insect was the
same bee which was saved by the dove. The bee had played her part in saving the
life of dove.

Moral Lesson: Tit for tat

Kindness never goes unrewarded
Do Good Have Good
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5. The Foolish Stag (All that glitters is not gold)

Once, a stag lived in a jungle. He used to drink clear water from a nearby stream.
Whenever he saw his reflection in the water, he praised his beautiful horns. He felt
proud of his horns. He disliked his ugly and thin legs. He thought that his legs were
a shame for him.

One day as he was drinking water and feeling sorrow for having ugly legs, he saw
a pack of hounds running towards him at a short distance. He ran way. The hounds
kept on chasing him. He ran as fast as his legs could. Soon he left the hounds far
behind.

Suddenly his horns were trapped in a bush. He tried his best to release himself but
he could not. His beautiful horns would not let him move. Meanwhile the hounds
reached there and they attacked him. They tore him into pieces.

His thin ugly legs which he did not like helped him rescue his life but his favorite
horns became the cause of his death.

Moral Lesson: All that glitters is not gold

Appearances are often deceptive
Pride hath a fall
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6. The King and the Spider (Try try again)

King Robert Bruce was defeated many times by the English army. He ran for his
life and hid himself in hills. He was frustrated and helpless. He had lost all the
hopes of victory. Now he wanted to have a peaceful death.

As he was lying in a cave, he saw a spider climbing the wall of the cave. It was
trying to reach the ceiling of the cave. Whenever it reached just close to its
destination, the insects fell down to the floor. It started again. This happened eight
times. The King was watching this process curiously. The spider made ninth
attempt and this time it reached its destination.

The king was moved by the consistency of the insect. It gave a new thought to
King Robert Bruce. He had learnt that persistence is the secret of success. It gave
courage to the King and he decided to face the enemy with more determination. He
got back and organized his army. He fought a final battle with a belief in his fate.
This time he won the battle.

Moral Lesson: Try, try again.

No pain no gains.
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7. Greed is Curse

Greed is rightly a curse as it results in destruction and disgrace. Greedy person is

not liked by his fellows. This story shows how greed can bring about devastation.

Once there lived three friends in a city. They were fast friends. One day they
decided to go on a picnic to the countryside. They planned their journey and set out
early in the morning. They reached the river side and fixed their encampment.
They spent the whole day in enjoying the beautiful scenes nature.

In the noon, as they were returning to their camp, they found a bag of full of gold.
They were very happy to have such a huge treasure. They were much excited. They
decided to share this gold equally among them. Now they felt hungry. One of them
was sent to nearby village to bring food. As he was gone, the other two friends
decided to kill him and have more share in gold. Their greedy nature would not
think of any other option.

The friend who went to village to bring food was greedy too. He poisoned the food
to kill other two friends and to have all the gold himself. As soon as he came back,
the other two friends killed him. Then they ate the food with peace and delight.
After eating the poisoned food, they met their maker. The gold was still there. It
was of no use for them.

Moral Lesson: Greed is Curse.

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8. As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

Once there was a time a camel and a jackal became fast friends. They used to
wander together on the bank of the river. They helped each other in finding food.
One day, there was shortage of food in their area. The camel suggested going to
the other side of the river in search of food. The jackal agreed. The river was deep
and wide. The jackal did not know how to swim. The camel asked him to get onto
his back and they would cross the river.

Wading through the deep water, the camel reached the other bank. There was a
melon field on that bank of the river. Both friends entered the field and began to
eat melons with delight. The jackal was soon filled. He began to howl. The camel
asked to stop this but the jackal told that howling after the hearty meal was his
habit. Despite the request of the camel the jackal did not stop howling.

The owner of the melons reached and thrashed the camel with heavy bushy stick.
The camel was hurt. They started their journey back to the other bank of the river.
The jackal was enjoying his ride on the camel. When the camel reached in the
middle of the river, he dived into the water. The jackal began to shout. He
requested the camel no to do so. But the camel told that bathing after the hearty
meal was his habit. The camel dived deep and the jackal drowned into the river.

Moral Lesson: As you sow, so shall you reap

Tit for tat
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9. Look Before You Leap

A hunter had a very faithful dog. The dog had special attachment to the hunter. He
had saved him from wild animals many times. On day the hunter’s wife was not
at home and he had to go out for hunting leaving his five years old son alone at
home in the watch of the dog. His son was too young for the hunter to take him
along to the hunting.

During his absence, a wolf entered the house and made its way to baby’s
room. He was to kill the baby when the dog sprang upon him and the both had a
hard fight. In the long run, the dog killed the beast and saved the baby from any
harm.

When the hunter returned in the evening, the dog met him at the door. He saw
dog’s snout red with blood. As usual, the dog started licking his feet. The hunter
entered the house and saw more smudges of blood in the yard. He thought the dog
had killed the child. He flew into a rage, picked his gun and shot the dog dead.
On entering the baby’s room, he found his child safe and sound. A dead wolf
was lying by his side. The man realized his mistake. He felt very sorry for what he
had done but it was no use crying over spilt milk.

Moral Lesson: Look Before you Leap

Haste Makes Waste
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10. Nip the Evil in the Bud

Many years ago, there was a poor old woman. She had an only son who was very
dear to her. She would never rebuke him even he did his evil things. She loved him
too much to scold him for his wrongs. One day her son came with a toy he had
stolen from school. Instead of advising him and discouraging him, the woman
smiled and ignored his wrong act. This type of response from his mother
encouraged the boy and he began to steal things from school. Every day, he came
with a new thing stolen from school and his mother said nothing. As he grew up,
he started stealing the things from neighboring houses.

As a result, he grew up a notorious thief. He would not care even for human lives
that came in his way. At last he committed a murder and was caught by the police.
He was sentenced to death.

His last wish before death was to see his mother. When they brought her, she tried
to embrace him. As soon as she did so, he bit off her ear and the old woman began
screaming. Every one present cursed him for his mad act. But they were soon
satisfied when they heard the story from the prisoner.

He told them that it was she who was the cause of his death. She had not taught
him the difference between right and wrong. Had she been good enough to
discourage him for stealing petty things from school he would not have been
hanged today.

Moral Lesson: Nip the evil in the bud.

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11. Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Once a here and a tortoise lived in the same jungle near to each other. Both of them
went for a morning walk on the same track. Every day the hare used to laugh at
tortoise for his slow pace. The tortoise was sick of this routine insult.

One day he challenged the hare to run a race. The hare laughed at the challenge. He
was sure to win the race. He thought that the tortoise had gone out of sense. He
accepted the challenge at once. They fixed a starting and an ending point for the
race. All was decided.

Next day, the race began at the fixed time. The hare ran very fast and left the
tortoise far behind. He saw behind and could see the tortoise nowhere. He though
the tortoise was very far so he could not get him soon. Then he set under a cool
shadowy tree to take a little rest but was soon asleep. The tortoise walked on
slowly but steadily and passed the sleeping hare.

The hare got up very late. He ran as fast as he could but failed to overtake that
tortoise which has already reached the winning post. The hare had lost the race. He
was much ashamed and never again made fun of the tortoise.

Moral Lesson: Slow and steady wins the race

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12. Might is Right
One a wolf was drinking water at a stream. He had grown old. He had lost the
energy needed for needed to hunt a prey. He had been hungry for many days. All
of sudden he saw a little lamb drinking water at some distance. A devilish shine
appeared in the eyes of the wolf. His hunger was sharpened. There came vanity in
his tone.

He growled and said to the lamb, “O, you rude! Why are you making the water
muddy? Don’t you see that I am drinking it?” On listening the scold, the poor
little lamb began to tremble. He said in a frightened tone, “Sir, water is flowing
from you to me. How can I make it muddy?” The wolf said, “Well, you know
how to argue. However tell me why did you call me names last year?” The
lamb said, “You are certainly mistaken. I am only three months old. I was not
even born last year.” The wolf said, “Then that abuser must be your elder
brother. You resemble so closely to him. You shall have to receive his punishment.
I cannot allow rascals like you to disgrace gentle folk like us.”

Saying so, the wolf pounced upon the little lamb and tore him into pieces. After
some time, the wolf was having his lunch with fine and fresh meat of the lamb at
the bank of the stream.

Moral Lesson: Might is right

An evil doer knows many excuses.

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13. Necessity is the Mother of Invention

On a hot summer day, a crow felt very thirsty. He was in search of water. He flew
here and there but could find no water. At last he reached a garden and found
pitcher of water under a tree. He at once happed towards it. He tried to drink from
the pitcher was disappointed to find the water too low.

He tried to break the pot with its beak but could not do so. Then he tried to
overturn it but it was too much for his strength. The crow was a clever and
optimist. He began to think new devises. He saw a heap of pebbles nearby. He hit
upon a plan.

He picked up a stone and dropped into the pitcher. He dropped some more stones
one by one. The water rose a little. Then he dropped more stones till the water level
rose so high he could drink it. Thus he quenched his thirst and flew away.

Moral Lesson: Necessity is the mother of invention

God helps those who help them selves
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14. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Once upon a time a merchant earned a large sum of money by selling his goods.
He had to go a long way to reach home. He went to an inn to get his horse. The
stable men brought out his horse and said, “Sir, your horse has lost a shoe nail.
You better wait and have it put in.” The merchant said, “Sorry! I have no
time now. Moreover, one nail more or less in shoe does not matter much.” Saying
so, he got on his horse and galloped it towards his destination.

After some time, another nail from the shoe of the horse came off. The horse began
to limp. Being in a hurry, the merchant did not stop to repair the damage. After
some time, the horse began to stagger. Very soon darkness of the night prevailed
everywhere. This further decreased the speed of the horse.

The darkness was falling. He was getting late. At last he got down and led the
horse. In the meantime, a gang of robbers appeared from the forest. The merchant
could not speed away his horse and save his money. He was at the mercy of the
looters. They thrashed him thoroughly and snatched his money. The merchant
returned home with a lame horse and empty pocket. His carelessness had cost a
heavy price.

Moral Lesson: A stitch in time saves nine

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15. A Rolling Stone Gathers no Moss

Once upon a time birds and animals gathered in a forest to choose their king. The
birds wanted to make a ruler out of them, while animals insisted that an animal
should be the king. They discussed the matter for several days but could not reach
any conclusion. At last they began to fight.

They bat played a strange role in the war between the birds and the animals. If the
birds seemed to be winning, it would go over to their side and say, “I am
with you with my heart and soul. I am a bird because I fly like you.” However if
the animals seemed to be wining, the bat would take no time in changing the side.
It would switch on its loyalty to animals and say, “I am with you. I am an
animal because I give milk to my young ones like you.” This behavior of bat cast
a slur on its face. At last the war came to an end the animals carried the day.
The lion was made the king of the forest. The bat went to congratulate the victor.
Anyway, the animals turned it out of the court saying, “You are not an animal
because you fly.” It then flew over to the camp of the birds. They also turned
it out saying, “you are not a bird because you give milk to your young ones.”
Since that time, the bat has become a symbol of duplicity. It does show its
face neither to animals nor to birds. It comes out only in the dark.

Moral Lesson: A rolling stone gathers no moss.

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16. God Helps those Who Helps Themselves

As a country laborer was driving his heavily laden cart along a muddy road. The
wheels stuck so fast that the horse could not draw them out of the rut. Upon this the
carter fell on his knees and prayed to Allah to come and help him. Allah sent an
angle out of a cloud who said, “Do not kneel there you lazy man but get up and
clap your shoulder to the wheel. That is the way for you to obtain assistance.

Moral Lesson: God helps those who help themselves