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Short stories in English with Morals
Short stories with morals serve as the best way of teaching important life lessons in a manner that seems more interesting and relatable. These stories are a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and entertainment. They help you become more aware of your actions and shape your moral compass. These stories promote character development and encourage readers to become better individuals. So, here are some popular 10-line short stories in English with morals you can learn a thing or two from.
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10-line Short Stories in English with Morals
The Tortoise and the Rabbit
Once upon a time, there was a tortoise who was friends with a rabbit. Out of the blue, one day, the rabbit challenged the tortoise to a race. During the race, he looked at the tortoise’s slow pace and was assured of his easy victory. So, he decided to take a quick nap before he finished the race. When he finally woke up after a long nap, he found that the tortoise had already reached the finish line. Much to his shock and disappointment, he had lost the race while he was busy catching up on his sleep.
Moral of the story
This is one of the most renowned 10-line short stories with morals that teaches us several lessons. The first major lesson taught by the story is that overconfidence can ruin your chances of success. It also teaches us that perseverance can get you anything. If you stay consistent and don’t give up in the face of obstacles, nothing is impossible.
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The Grasshopper and the Ant
A grasshopper and an ant were very good friends. However, they had very different lifestyles. During the summer, the ant worked hard all day to fill the food storage up. On the other hand, the grasshopper played around and enjoyed the fine weather. When the winter came, the ant lay around the house cozily while enjoying the food it had stored during the summer. Whereas the grasshopper was hungry and freezing in its home.
Utterly starved, the grasshopper asked the ant for food, and the latter lent him some. However, it wasn’t enough to last the grasshopper for the entire winter. When it asked the ant for more, the ant told him that he only had enough to sustain himself and his family for the remaining winter days. Out of options, the grasshopper regretted all the time it had wasted playing around while his friend was working to store food.
Moral of the story
This is one of the wisest 10-line short stories with morals that teach us to conserve our resources when we have them in abundance and prepare for the future.
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The Boy who Cried, Wolf
Once upon a time, there was a boy who used to look after a flock of sheep. He was very naughty and loved tricking and pranking others. One day, the boy decided to play a trick on the villagers and started shouting, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!”. Hearing his shouts, the villagers came running to help. When they arrived, they were disappointed to find the boy laughing at successfully tricking them. The next day, he did the same thing again. Once more, the villagers rushed to help him and found out that it was a trick. On the third day, the boy really found a wolf eating one of his sheep. When he shouted for help, nobody came, thinking that he was tricking them again. The boy lost his entire flock to the wolf that day.
Moral of the story
There is a great lesson in this one. If you gain a reputation for lying, cheating, and making up stories, then there will come a time when people will stop believing you, even when you’re being truthful.
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The Ugly Duckling
A long time ago, a farmer kept four eggs together, all of which hatched after a few days. While three of the ducklings that came out of the eggs looked exactly alike, the fourth one looked different. He was bigger and plain gray in color. The duckling always felt different from its siblings and was always picked on.
All the ducklings called him ugly and made fun of him. One day, the duckling got fed up with all the teasing and bullying and ran away to a nearby river, where he came upon a family of beautiful swans. Looking at the young members of that family, the duckling realized that he never looked like any of its siblings because he is a swan and not a duckling. Then, he realized that soon enough, he would grow into a beautiful swan and won’t be called ugly anymore.
Moral of the story
This is another one of the most famous 10-line short stories with morals. And it teaches us to never judge anyone based on his/her physical appearance. Everyone is beautiful in their own individual way.
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The Elephant and the Ants
There once was an arrogant elephant who always bullied every animal smaller than him. His favorite target was ants. He often went to the anthills nearby and sprayed water on them, destroying the ants’ homes. With their tiny size, all the ants could do was cry and beg the elephant to stop. The elephant simply laughed at them and told them that he could crush them all in seconds. One day, the ants decided to come together and teach the elephant a lesson. They worked together to make their way into the elephant’s trunk and started biting him anywhere they could. All the elephant could do was howl and cry in pain. That was when he realized his mistake and apologized to the ants. From that point on, he never bullied another animal again.
Moral of the story
This short story teaches us to always be humble and treat others with kindness. If you are superior to someone, you should be their protector, not a bully. Moreover, if you work as a team and show unity, you can solve even the biggest of problems.
5-line Short Stories in English with Morals
The Oak and the Willow
Once, there were two trees: an oak and a willow. The oak was strong but stubborn, while the willow was flexible and bendy. When a big storm came, the oak’s branches broke because it couldn’t move with the wind, but the willow swayed and stayed safe. The oak learned that being flexible is important, not a weakness and the willow realized that being strong and steadfast also matters. They both understood that in life, it’s essential to adapt and stay strong when faced with challenges.
Moral of the story
Adaptability and resilience are essential qualities in facing life’s challenges; being flexible doesn’t mean being weak, and strength isn’t just about being rigid—it’s about finding balance between the two.
The Wisdom of Learning
Once, a wise owl taught a young squirrel an important lesson. The squirrel thought only old creatures could be wise, but the owl disagreed. The owl showed that wisdom comes from learning and experiencing life, not just from getting older. They talked a lot and did things together, and the owl encouraged the squirrel to stay curious and learn new things. The squirrel realized that wisdom is about always learning and growing, no matter how young you are. It was a lesson about how knowledge and experiences make us wise, not just our age.
Moral of the story
True wisdom comes from continuous learning and life experiences, not solely from age.
The Proud Sunflower and the Humble Daisy
In a pretty garden, there was a big sunflower boasting about its golden petals and making fun of a small daisy nearby. “I’m so beautiful and noticeable while you’re just tiny and hidden,” it bragged. But during a powerful storm, the sunflower’s tall stem snapped in half. Meanwhile, the little daisy, being low to the ground and flexible, bent with the wind and survived.
Moral of the story
Humility triumphs over pride. Being humble and able to adjust helps us handle life’s challenges better than being too proud.
Kindness Rewarded
One day, a traveller was walking through a hot desert when he came across a big lion trapped in a deep hole, roaring for help. The traveler felt scared but also sorry for the lion, so he bravely lowered a rope and pulled the lion out. Later, the traveler was resting under a rock when he heard a quiet hissing sound, signaling a deadly snake approaching with its fangs out. Just as the snake was about to attack, the lion he had saved earlier jumped in and protected him. The lion remembered the kindness the traveler showed, and now it was protecting him in return.
Moral of the story
Kindness has a way of returning. Helping others, even in risky situations, can bring unexpected rewards.
The Greedy Farmer’s Mistake
Once there was a farmer who had a special hen that laid golden eggs every day. He became so greedy that he couldn’t wait to get rich slowly. So, he killed the hen to take out all the gold at once. But when he opened the hen, he found nothing inside. He lost the chance to get more gold every day because he was too greedy and impatient.
Moral of the story
Greed often leads to loss, reminding us to appreciate what we have rather than constantly seeking more.
20-line short stories in English with Morals
Donkey in tiger skin
There was a washerman in a village. He bought a donkey to take to the pond and carry the clothes to be washed. Feeding the donkey became a burden for him. The washerman thought of a trick for that. Somehow he got a tiger skin and put it on a donkey and sent it to the crop fields near the village at night. From that day the donkey fell on the crop fields and ate its fill. The donkey grazes all night and reaches the washerman’s house early in the morning. The people who were guarding the crop fields saw the donkey covered in tiger skin and ran away in fear that it was really a tiger. And the donkey grazed its fill in the crop fields without any hindrance. The farm owners were very worried to see the donkey covered in tiger skin that destroyed their crop. How to break its pain? Searched for a way.
One night a farm owner covered himself with a gray blanket and sat under a tree with his bow and arrows and waited for the arrival of a tiger. As usual, a donkey covered in tiger skin entered the crop fields. Seeing the owner covered with a gray blanket grazing in the donkey field, he thought that another donkey was grazing there. A donkey covered in tiger skin cried out with indescribable joy that I had found a friend for a long time. A farmer covered with a gray blanket was startled by the braying of a donkey.
“This donkey is such a deceiver. He has deceived all of us by covering himself with a tiger skin and the crop is full of food. “I will give you suitable advice for this,” he told the donkey with a stick that he had. The donkey could not keep its mouth shut and was in danger. People with bad mouths are also at risk.
Moral of the story
I should behave with humility and obedience towards elders without being proud that there is no one better than me in this world.
The Fox & the Stork
The Fox one day thought of a plan to amuse himself at the expense of the Stork, at whose odd appearance he was always laughing.
“You must come and dine with me today,” he said to the Stork, smiling to himself at the trick he was going to play. The Stork gladly accepted the invitation and arrived in good time and with a very good appetite.
For dinner, the Fox served soup. But it was set out in a very shallow dish, and all the Stork could do was to wet the very tip of his bill. Not a drop of soup could he get. But the Fox lapped it up easily, and, to increase the disappointment of the Stork, made a great show of enjoyment.
The hungry Stork was much displeased at the trick, but he was a calm, even-tempered fellow and saw no good in flying into a rage. Instead, not long afterward, he invited the Fox to dine with him in turn. The Fox arrived promptly at the time that had been set, and the Stork served a fish dinner that had a very appetizing smell. But it was served in a tall jar with a very narrow neck. The Stork could easily get at the food with his long bill, but all the Fox could do was to lick the outside of the jar, and sniff at the delicious odor. And when the Fox lost his temper, the Stork said calmly: Do not play tricks on your neighbors unless you can stand the same treatment yourself.
Moral of the story
Do not tease others if you can’t tolerate them tease yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Living life with morals and principles is how you become a better person.
- There are no better means of reminding yourself of important life lessons than through short stories.
- These stories teach valuable lessons in a way that tickles your imagination and stays with you forever.
So, mentioned above are the top 10-line, 5-line and 20-line short stories in English with morals you should definitely go through.
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FAQs
Ques 1: What is the importance of 10-line short stories with morals?
Answer 1: 10-line short stories with morals offer a great way of teaching important and valuable life lessons in a way that you can remember and relate to.
Ques 2: Why are morals important?
Answer 2: Morals help you shape your character and decide how to live your life. They help you differentiate between right and wrong.
Ques 3: Which are some of the other popular 10-line short stories with morals?
Answer 3: Some of the other popular 10-line short stories with morals include “The Thirsty Crow” and “The Fox and the Grapes”.
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