The Donkey and the Dog - A Fable by Aesop

Old Donkey lived in a snug, warm barn. He always had plenty of oats and hay to eat. His farmer was kind and never worked him too hard. Still, Donkey was not content. You see, the farmer also had a dog, a dainty little ball of fluff. This dog performed silly tricks and danced around on two legs. The farmer fed her tidbits and allowed her to stay in the farmhouse and sleep on his lap.

"It's not fair!" Donkey told himself. "That dog is the farmer's darling, all because she jumps about in that ridiculous way. Yet I have to pull a heavy cart back and forth to the fields all day long. Well, I can be amusing, too!"

Into the farmer's house clomped the donkey. He began to whirl about.

Have you ever seen a big, awkward donkey trying to dance around on two hooves? It is not a pretty sight. Lamps and dishes went flying, chairs and tables crashed, and pictures flew off the walls. Then Donkey began to roll over on the carpet and do other silly tricks, just as he had seen the little dog do.

The farmer was furious! He grabbed a rope, threw it over Donkey's neck, and dragged the surprised beast out to the barn. There he tied the donkey up in his stall. "No more oats for you!" he declared. "And from now on, you'll have to work twice as hard! Perhaps then you will be too tired to make mischief!"

What's the moral of this story?
Don't try to be someone you're not. Instead, be content with who you are.

Return to lesson The Donkey and the Dog