Moral story
Inspirational Moral Stories
1) The Potato, The Egg, And The Coffee Beans
A boy named John was upset. His father found him crying.
When his father asked John why he was crying, he said that he had a lot of problems in his life.
His father simply smiled and asked him to get a potato, an egg, and some coffee beans. He placed them in three bowls.
He then asked John to feel their texture and then fill each bowl with water.
John did as he had been told. His father then boiled all three bowls.
Once the bowls had cooled down, John’s father asked him to feel the texture of the different food items again.
John noticed that the potato had become soft and its skin was peeling off easily; the egg had become harder and tougher; the coffee beans had completely changed and filled the bowl of water with aroma and flavour.
Moral of the story
Life will always have problems and pressures, like the boiling water in the story. It’s how you respond and react to these problems that counts the most!
2) Two Frogs With The Same Problem
Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.
The other frogs worried about their friends in the pit.
Seeing how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that there was no way they could escape the deep pit and that there was no point in trying.
They continued to constantly discourage them as the two frogs tried to jump out of the pit. But keep falling back.
Soon, one of the two frogs started to believe the other frogs — that they’ll never be able to escape the pit and eventually died after giving up.
The other frog keeps trying and eventually jumps so high that he escapes the pit. The other frogs were shocked at this and wondered how he did it.
The difference was that the second frog was deaf and couldn’t hear the discouragement of the group. He simply thought they were cheering him on!
Moral of the story
People’s opinion of you will affect you, only if you believe it to be so. It’s better to believe in yourself.
Moral Stories From Around The World
3) The Tortoise And The Hare
This popular story is about a hare (an animal belonging to the rabbit family), which is known to move quickly and a tortoise, which is known to move slower.
The story began when the hare who has won many races proposed a race with the tortoise. The hare simply wanted to prove that he was the best and have the satisfaction of beating him.
The tortoise agreed and the race began.
The hare got a head-start but became overconfident towards the end of the race. His ego made him believe that he could win the race even if he rested for a while.
And so, he took a nap right near the finish line.
Meanwhile, the tortoise walked slowly but extremely determined and dedicated. He did not give up for a second and kept persevering despite the odds not being in his favour.
While the hare was asleep, the tortoise crossed the finish line and won the race!
The best part was that the tortoise did not gloat or put the hare down!
Moral of the story
Slow and steady wins the race. When you work hard, stay focused, you can achieve anything, even when it seems impossible.
4) The Milkmaid And Her Pail
There was once a milkmaid named Patty.
She milked her cow and carried the two pails of milk she fetched on a stick and set out to sell the milk at the market.
As she was walking to the market, she began to daydream about what she would do from the money she fo for the milk.
She thought of buying a hen and selling its eggs and she planned on becoming wealthy.
She dreamt of buying a cake, a basket of strawberries, a fancy dress, and even a new house with the money she would make selling the eggs and the milk!
In her excitement, she forgot about the pails she was carrying and began to skip.
Suddenly, she realised that the milk was spilling down and when she checked her pails, they were empty.
Moral of the story
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It is important to focus on the process of achieving success and not just success alone.
RELATED: 40 Fantastic Stories For Kids To Read In 2020
5) The Elephant Circus
Once upon a time in a circus, five elephants that performed circus tricks. They were kept tied up with weak rope that they could’ve easily escaped, but did not.
One day, a man visiting the circus asked the ringmaster: “Why haven’t these elephants broken the rope and run away?”
The ringmaster replied: “From when they were young, the elephants were made to believe that they were not strong enough to break the ropes and escape.”
It was because of this belief that they did not even try to break the ropes now.
Moral of the story
Don’t give in to the limitations of society. Believe that you can achieve everything you want to!
6) The Boy Who Cried, Wolf
There was a young boy whose father, a farmer, had asked him to take their herd of sheep grazing every day.
One day, the boy was extremely bored as he watched over the sheep and so he cried: “Wolf! Wolf!”
On hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help him chase the wolf away and safe the sheep.
When they saw the grinning boy and realised he had cried wolf for his amusement, they scolded him and told him to not cry wolf!
The next day, the boy cried out that the wolf was there. The villagers came, scolded him again, and left.
Later that same day, a wolf came and terrorized the sheep.
The boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me.”
But, the villagers assumed that he was pulling a silly prank again and did not come to his rescue. The sheep ran away and the boy cried.
Moral of the story
Don’t lie or engage in foolish pranks, for no one will believe a liar even when he is telling the truth!
7) The Golden Touch Of Midas
A long time ago, there lived a king in Greece named Midas.
He was extremely wealthy and had all the gold he could ever need. He also had a daughter whom he loved very much.
One day, Midas saw a Satyr (an angel) who was stuck and was in trouble. Midas helped the Satyr and asked for his wish to be granted in return.
The Satyr agreed and Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold. His wish was granted.
Extremely excited, Midas went home to his wife and daughter touching pebbles, rocks, and plants on the way, which turned into gold.
As his daughter hugged him, she turned into a golden statue.
Having learnt his lesson, Midas begged the Satyr to reverse the spell who granted that everything would go back to their original state.
Moral of the story
Stay content and grateful with what you have. Greed will not get you anywhere.
8) The Three Little Pigs
Once, there lived three little pigs who were sent out into the world by their mother.
Each of the three little pigs decided to build a house of their own.
The first pig barely put in any effort and built a house made of straw.
The second pig put in a little effort and built a house made of sticks.
The third pig put in a lot of hard work and effort to build a house made of brick and stone.
One fine day, a big bad wolf came to attack each of the three little pigs.
He huffed and puffed and blew away the houses of the first two little pigs that were made of straw and sticks.
He then huffed and puffed but could not blow away the house of the third little pig, who sat snuggly in his house.
Soon, the big bad wolf was breath and ran away.
Moral of the story
Hard work always pays off. Always think of the bigger picture and don’t be lazy.
Moral Stories From India
9) The Monkey And The Crocodile
This famous moral story is from the Panchatantra.
There was a monkey that lived on a berry tree on the riverbank. He ate the delicious berries every day.
Once, he saw a crocodile rest under the tree who looked tired and hungry. He gave the crocodile some berries.
The crocodile thanked the monkey. Soon, they became best friends. The monkey gave the crocodile berries every day.
One day, the monkey gave the crocodile extra berries to take home to his wife.
His wife, a wicked crocodile, enjoyed the sweet berries, but then told her husband that she wanted to eat the monkey’s heart as that would be sweeter!
The crocodile was upset at first but decided to give in to his wife’s wishes.
The next day, he told the monkey that his wife invited the monkey home for dinner.
As the crocodile carried the monkey on his back across the river, he told him about his wife’s plan to eat his heart.
The monkey, being smart, told the crocodile that he left his heart on the berry tree and needed to get it.
The crocodile foolishly took him back to the berry tree. On reaching, the monkey climbed onto the tree.
“Who will keep the heart on a tree? You have betrayed my trust. We can never be friends again!” the monkey told his friend.
Sad after losing his friend, the crocodile swims back to his wicked wife.
Moral of the story
Choose your friends and the people you trust wisely. Moreover, never betray the trust of someone who trusts you.
10) The Elephants And The Mice
Yet another moral story from the Panchatantra.
In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.
The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.
The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that they favour would be returned in the time of their need.
The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.
Not-so-long-after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.
Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.
The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!
Moral of the story
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you.
11) The Foolish Thief
Once, a wealthy merchant came to King Akbar’s court to seek help from Birbal. He suspected that one of his servants had robbed from him.
On hearing this, Birbal thought of a clever plan and summoned the merchant’s servants.
He gave each servant a stick of the same length. He told them that the thief’s stick would grow two inches by the next day.
The next day, Birbal summoned the servants again. He noticed that a servant’s stick was two inches shorter than the others’.
He knew who the thief was.
The foolish thief had cut the stick shorter by two inches as he thought it would grow two inches. Thus, proving his guilt.
Moral of the story
Truth and justice will always prevail.
1. THE CROW AND THE PITCHER
It was an afternoon of a scorching summer day. The ponds and lakes were almost dry. There was not a bit of cloud visible. The sun was burning hot. A thirsty crow was flying over a long deserted field. The crow looked here and there for well or any shelter. But alas! There was no one nearby. At a distance, the crow found an earthen pot under a tree. His heart became filled with joy, and with much hope, he peeped into it. There was a little water at the bottom of the pot. The crow tried to reach the water with its beak but to no avail. His little beaks could not reach the level of the water.
The crow looked here and there with disparity, and suddenly he found some peebles spread over the ground. The crow hatched a plan and started gathering peebles. He took them one by one and filled the pot with them. Slowly the water level rose to the brim of the pot. The crow then quenched his thirst and flew away.
The story of the clever crow teaches us that we should remain calm in adversity and use our wisdom to get over the situation. The story retells the well-known proverb, and Where there is a will, there is a way.
Moral: Wisdom not only helps a man to overcome adverse situations, but it also helps people of his surroundings. In the next story, we will see how a little rabbit defeated a powerful lion with its wit and saved all the animals of the jungle.
2. LOOK INTO THE WELL
Once upon a time, there was a powerful Lion who was the king of the jungle. The Lion was very powerful, and other animals in the jungle were afraid of him. The Lion used to kill little animals to satisfy his hunger. To save themselves, the animals of the jungle prayed to the Lion and requested him to kill and eat one animal per day that will be sent to him as a prayer
. The Lion agreed, and each day an animal was sent to him as his food. Thus little rabbits to dear and birds, all were sent to the Lion to satisfy his hunger. As time passed by, the number of animals in the jungle started decreasing, and the animals were spending days in fear and waiting for their turn.
One day, a rabbit was sent to the Lion. But the rabbit did not reach the Lion at expected hours, and the Lion became restless in hunger. When the rabbit reached, the angry Lion asked it, “Why are you so late? Do you know about the dire consequences of making me wait for so long?” The little rabbit sat on the ground with folded hands and told the Lion, “Please forgive me, my Lord. I started at the right time with 4 of my companions. But a Lion more powerful than you stopped us in the way and ate four of them. I managed to flee and come to your service.”
The proud and powerful Lion could not tolerate a second one in the same jungle who was as powerful as him and was eating away his share of food. The Lion became blind in anger and ordered the rabbit, “Take me to the Lion. I will teach him lessons. I am the only king of this jungle, and all the animals should come to my service.” The rabbit smiled and took the Lion to a nearby well. The Lion started grunting loud and called the second Lion for a battle. The clever rabbit told the Lion, “My lord, the Lion is inside the well, and he will not come out unless you kill him inside the well.” The foolish Lion jumped inside the well to kill his opponent and drowned in the well. Thus the witty rabbit saved his jungle from the greedy and cruel Lion.
Thus we may see that wisdom is the only way to fight against the arm power, and if you are wise, you can overcome hurdles more easily and with more precision. Clever thinking can sometimes help us to overcome tough situations. Our success in life sometimes depends on how we handle a situation that is out of our way.
The moral of the story is, Wit is Might.
The next story is about a cap-seller and how he managed to get back his caps from the naughty and mischievous monkeys.
3. MONKEY AND THE CAPS
On an afternoon of a summer day, a cap-seller was selling caps in a village. He became tired and sat for some rest under a big tree. The tree was the abode of many monkeys, and when the cap-seller fell asleep, one of the naughty monkeys opened his bag and found colorful caps. They thought the caps to be playthings and took them on the high branches.
In the evening, when the seller rose, he found his bag almost empty. He was very disappointed and started to search for the caps. He suddenly found some monkeys playing with caps on the branches. As the cap-seller started yielding at them, the yield back to him, and this made the man angrier. He started throwing pebbles while the monkeys threw fruits from the trees. The cap-seller was astonished, and he made a plan. He started wearing a cap and threw it on the ground. The monkeys started imitating him, and soon, all the caps were thrown on the ground. The seller collected all the caps and went back home smiling.
Moral: This story shows us that wisdom is a mightier weapon than others. One should always keep his head cool and think to overcome the situation.
We should always help the old and helpless persons. But sometimes cunning people take advantage of their weakness and cheat them. The next story is about an old lady and a deceiving physician.
4. TIT FOR TAT
One day, an old woman went to the doctor and requested him for her treatment. The old lady lived alone in her house. She was rich, but she lost her eye-sight due to old age. The physician agreed to treat her and asked for rewards after the completion of her treatment. The old lady agreed and said that he would not get anything if the treatment was not successful. The doctor agreed and started her treatment in her home.
As days went by, the doctor became tempted to see the well-furnished house of the old lady and started stealing precious materials from her house. Soon the house became empty, and the old woman was unaware of all. Fortunately, she got back her eye-sight and understood the treasons of the Doctor. When the doctor demanded his reward and fees for her treatment, the old lady denied to give him any money. The doctor complained to the king. As the king’s personnel took her in front of the king, the lady said to the king, “My Lord, I promised to give him money only if I can see like before. But now I cannot see any vessels or furniture in my house. How can he say that I have recovered completely?” The king understood everything and ordered his attendants to free the old lady and send the physician to the prison.
The cunning doctor took the opportunity of the helplessness of the old lady. But the lady taught him a lesson with her wit. The story proves the well-known proverb, “As you sow, So you reap.”
Moral: Intelligence and alertness always make man extraordinary. We should always remain cautious about dangers, and if it comes, we should fight the situation with intelligence and proficiency. Now we will hear a story about a greedy fox and a cleaver cock.
5. THE FOX AND THE COCK
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful rooster named Chanticleer with a host of hens and other animals in a yard. Chanticleer was excellent both in his appearance and his punctuality of crowing at dawn. He had a host of hen-wives, and a hen, named Partelote was his favorite one.
One night, Chanticleer had a terrible nightmare that he was taken away by an animal from his yard. Though Partelote tried to pacify him with her knowledge and common senses, the wildest nightmare turns into reality very soon. One day, when the rooster was taking a rest on a tree, a cleaver and greedy Fox came to Chanticleer. He flattered Chanticleer by praising his beautiful voice. Chanticleer fell into the trap and started boosting his quality. As soon as he closed his eyes and started singing, the mischievous Fox took him by his neck and flew away.
The other animals in the yard saw the fox and chased the fox with loud cries. As Chanticleer understood his situation, he came up with a counter plan. He suggested the fox chase his pursuers. As soon as the Fox opened his mouth to do so, Chantecleer flew away. The fox tried to catch him with further flatteries but in vain. Chanticleer learned the lesson and caught the fox’s dangerous trap to catch and kill him. The rooster returned to his yard and his hen-lives and started living happily.
Moral: We should never fall prey to flattery as many mischievous people can allure us with flattery, and then we may be subjected to dangers.
We all have friends, and we must help our friends with their needs. We should not leave them alone in their difficulties. But sometimes over talkativeness leads to many problems. Now we will hear a story about three friends, two swans, and a tortoise and how the help of friends went in vain for the talkative nature of a tortoise.
6. THE FLYING TORTOISE
The tortoise agreed, and they started their flight to a nearby lake. On the way, a group of schoolboys started laughing and making noise to the flying tortoise. Unable to control his tongue, the tortoise asked the swans, “What is the sound about?”. He could not complete his sentence as he fell on a rock and died.
Thus lack of wisdom and talkativeness of the tortoise caused his death. The moral of the story is over talking may lead to downfall, so we might be cautious before speaking something to somebody.
Moral: Life is a constant battle through winning and defeat. Perseverance is the only medium to remain in the battleground called life. Now we will hear a story about a famous king and how he survived his defeat with the lessons from a spider.
7. PERSEVERANCE
As the night came, the cave became dark, and he started a fire by friction of stones. The king was tired and was anxious about the freedom of his nation. The constant defeat took away his mental strength, and the tiresome battle made him tired. Suddenly he found a little spider struggling on the greasy and wet walls of the cave. The spider was trying to weave its net again and again. But the wall was not suitable for weaving its net, and it felt multiple times. But the spider did not give up his endeavor. After falling several times, the spider finally succeeded in weaving its net on the wall.
The famed king of Scots realized that he should not lose his mental strength and should fight till the end without losing his spirit. He took a lesson from the spider. He realized that he should not lose hope and spirit under the pressure of initial defeat before the English Army. As a good king and warrior, he should fight the battle till the end against the English army. This time Bruce and his army won the battle against the English force and Scotland got its freedom.
The moral of the story is that we should not lose hope and spirit before adverse situations. We might fight till the end with the best of our endeavors. Then finally we will be the winners. As the proverb goes by, Perseverance is the mother of success.
Greed always takes away whatever we have. A greedy person can neither become happy nor can acquire someone’s belief. Now we will hear a story about a hen that laid golden eggs.
8. THE GOLDEN EGGS
In a village, a man lived with his family. They were well off and had a beautiful hen that laid an egg daily. Those were golden eggs and the man used to sell them at the market and get money from them. But the man was greedy and could not be satisfied with only one egg a day. He thought that if he could kill the hen and open its belly, he will get all the eggs at a time and he will be rich at a time. He wanted to become rich like the king and one day, he and his wife decided to kill the hen and cut its belly to get all the eggs at a time.
On the next day, he and his wife rose early and killed the hen and cut open its belly. But to their astonishment, there was not a single golden egg. He could find only blood all around and the hen was gone forever. Now he could not get even a single egg. He started regretting his deeds but to no avail. It was already too late. He lost the boon of golden egg-laying hen due to his overwhelming greed. He became poor within one day and left the village with his family.
Greedy people can never become happy as they want all and they lose everything they have. So we should follow the proverb that a Greedy man is forever poor. All the abundance of the world can not make him happy and content.
Every individual has his own pace and method. We should not boast about our qualities or mean someone for their shortcomings. Sometimes overconfidence leads to downfall and we should avoid pride and remain grounded as truly talented people never boost their qualities before the weaker ones. Never make others feel inferior for their shortcomings. Now we will see a hare and tortoise in a race.
9. THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
One day a hare challenged a slow tortoise for a race. The tortoise started with much speed and finished half of the race within a few minutes. The tortoise was old and he was moving slowly with his heavy shell on the back. When the hare looked behind, he saw the rabbit was far behind him and smiled in satisfaction. He felt that the tortoise could never reach him in time. The hare was tired and decided to rest under the tree for some time and start the race again. The slow tortoise continued his race and went forward slowly.
The tortoise moved very slowly with his heavy shell and did not stop despite the tiresome journey. When the hare rose, he found the tortoise was very close to the finishing line. The hare could not believe his eyes that a slow tortoise could win the match. He tried his best to reach the line. He leaped and jumped for pace and threw his light furred body towards the line. But alas! It was too late. The tortoise’s continuous try bore fruit and he won the match.
The story teaches us that overconfidence and demeaning others may bring about downfall even when he is more capable in the beginning. So we should identify our strengths and should learn from failures. As the proverb says, “Slow but steady wins the race”.
Moral: Freedom is one of the fundamentals of living a happy life. No one can remain happy, compromising on freedom. All the riches and comfort of the world can not be a substitute for freedom. The next story is about a dog and a wolf.
10. THE DOG AND THE WOLF
In a jungle, there lived a Wolf. The wolf could not get enough food for him as the people from the nearby village used to chase him and he seldom got a chance to catch their hens or pets. One night, when the Wolf was roaming about in the village in search of food, he met a well-fed Dog. The bony and starved wolf was impressed to see the strong and plump dog. He forgot to kill him and out of interest, and the Wolf asked the Dog, “How do you manage to keep yourself well-fed in the village as I seldom get chances to have any food from the villagers”. The Dog smiled and replied, “you too can enjoy such a relaxed life with ample food and care. I just watch the house of my lord at night and get a whole day of rest and food from them. You too can join me.” The Wolf was very happy to hear about the chicken bones, cakes, excess foods and caresses that he used to enjoy from the Dog and decided to follow him.
Suddenly, the Wolf found a black spot on the Dog’s neck. The Wolf asked the Dog about the reason for that mark. At first, the dog avoided his question, telling it to be just a trifle. At last, the Dog replied, “It was the mark of the collar with which my master fastened me in the day time.” The wolf was astonished to hear that the Dog could not move according to his wish and decided to return. As the Dog asked him the reason for his return, the Wolf answered, “Dear, it is better to live a starved life in the woods than to remain fastened with food and comfort”.
The story gives us the lesson that freedom is more valuable than the ease and comfort of life. The proverb says Lean freedom is better than fat slavery.
All of us wish for a more comfortable and easy life. The next story is adapted from Tagore’s writings and the story is about a father and his son and their interchanging of the role.
11. WISH COME TRUE
Subal and Sushil both were unhappy in their place. Subal, the father, unlike the meaning of his name, was weak and old, while his son Sushil was just the opposite of his name in his characteristics. He was a naughty boy and used to do everything to disturb his neighbors, to irritate his teachers and his father Subal was frustrated with his son. Sushil used to make new excuses like abdominal pains to avoid punishments from his teachers and one day, infuriated Subal locked his son into his home to punish him for his behavior and misdemeanor.
At nightfall, Subal and Sushil started repenting for their condition. Subal wished that he could get back to his childhood days and start studying again, while Sushil prayed that he could move independently like his father and do whatever he wanted. The Goddess of Desires heard their prayers and granted their wishes.
The next morning, Subal found himself in large clothes while Sushil, now old and grey-haired, tried to cling to his old routine. When Subal tried to climb on the tree, he fell and the passer-by started laughing at him. Sushil, who thought that his old age would provide him with more freedom, realized that from then on, he could not drink coffee as it contains much sugar and is harmful to his health. He even can not play with his friends as he can not play like before because of his old bones.
On the other side, Subal was discontented with the old diet of an old man to which Sushil, now authoritative like his father, made him cling too. Both of them were unhappy with their current situation. On that night, Subal and Sushil both pray to the Goddess of Desire to take back her boon so that they can get back to their regular life. Goddess granted their request and on the next day, they returned to their daily routine.
The story gives us a moral lesson that we should be content and satisfied with whatever we have in our life. Nature is the greatest teacher in our life. It teaches us many lessons that we can not learn from the outside. We experience six different seasons over the year. All have their distinct features. Some have their own stories like Winter and Spring.
12. THE TALE OF WINTER AND SPRING
In Greek Mythology, Persephone is the daughter of the goddess of fruits, plants and agriculture. One day, the princess was roaming about in the garden with her dazzling gown and golden hair. Suddenly, Hades, God of the underworld and death, came into the garden and abducted her. As the evening came and her mother, Demeter, could not find her, she left all the harvest and went away to find her daughter. As a result, a mass famine broke out all over the world.
During the routine visit to the underworld, Apollo, the God of Sun and truth, saw Persephone and the messenger from God rescued her. However, during Persephone’s stay in the dark underworld, she was tricked into eating six pomegranate seeds that make her six months of stay in the underworld mandatory for her, far from her mother. When Persephone comes to her mother, the world we live in becomes happy again. Demeter fills nature with fruits and flowers to welcome her dear child, and thus the Spring and Summer come. But after six months, when her daughter goes back to Hades, Winter and fall come. Loving mother Demeter starts waiting for the next six months as we wait for springs and summer to come.
Every child is dear to his/her mother, precious to their parents. When they go far from them, their world becomes dark
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