The hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals.
“I have never yet been beaten,” he said. “I challenge anyone here to race with me.”
The Tortoise said quietly, “I accept your challenge.”
“That’s funny,” said the Hare. “I could dance around you all the way!”
“Keep your boasting until you’ve won,” answered the Tortoise. “Shall we race?”
The course was fixed. The Hare and the Tortoise both lined up at the start. The Hare darted out of sight almost immediately, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, laid down to have a nap.
The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on.
The Hare awoke, saw the Tortoise had scarcely come to the halfway point, and decided to have a leisurely breakfast. His full belly soon made him sleepy again, so he shut his eyes once again. As the day grew later, the Hare awoke only to see the Tortoise just near the finish line. The Hare, summoning all of his speed, had too much ground to make up.
The Tortoise had won.
There’s a reason this seemingly silly fable, not to mention the thousands of derivative tales, has been retold for the last 2500 years: it hides two of the most fundamental principals of success.
First, pride and arrogance can lead even the most capable to failure.
Second, diligent work, over time, leads to success. Even if you’re the tortoise, racing against a Hare who is just as diligent as you are, you may not beat him to the finish line. But you’ll still get there.
Plodding wins the race.
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