Short Stories with Moral Lessons 1

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Zahid E Notes

Complete Notes

English Composition
Stories with
Moral Lessons
For College Students

Saif Ullah Zahid

Email: saifullahcr@gmail.com
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Phone: 03017980076
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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
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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 angle of mercy appeared before him. He asked the
woodcutter why he was crying. The woodcutter told him the
whole matter. The angle 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 angle 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 angle dived again and brought a bronze
axe. The woodcutter did not accept this axe because that was
not his.
The angle dived fourth time and brought the iron axe. That
was the real axe of the woodcutter. The angle offered this
axe to him. The woodcutter was overjoyed to see his own
axe. He accepted that at once.
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The angle 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

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
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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

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
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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.

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.
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Moral Lesson: Tit for tat

Kindness never goes unrewarded
Do Good Have Good

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.
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Moral Lesson: Greed is Curse.

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
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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

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
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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

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
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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.

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
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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

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
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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.

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.
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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

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
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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

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
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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.
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

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More Notes from Zahid E Notes:

1. Book III Plays Notes

2. Book III Poems notes
3. Book I answer questions notes
4. Applications for 11th class
5. Letters for Part I F.A, F.Sc
6. English Guess paper for F.A, F.Sc
7. Pair of Words for 1st Year Students
8. All notes for First year students

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