Haste Makes Waste - Moral Story for Class 9th 10th

Haste Makes Waste is an oft-quoted proverb. It means hasty decision or actions lead a man into error. Most of the people are so overtaken by greed that they are not patient enough to wait for bright prospects. They want to be very prosperous within a very short time.

There is a well-known fable of such a greedy man who killed his hen that laid the golden eggs which illustrate the truth of this proverb.

Once upon a time, there lived a poor, weak and willow-wild young man in a certain village. Although he was very poor but at he same time he was very impatient. He worked hard and used to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Still he had to starve very often. He kept on dreaming about good happy times. He prayed to God to make him rich. He thought that wealth would become a source of satisfaction for him. Anyhow, his prayer was accepted.

One day, he worked on daily wages and purchased six chickens. Luckily one of the chickens was very prominent and illuminating. As it grew up into a young hen, it began to lay an egg of solid gold every day. He would sell the eggs in the market at a very high price and grew rich within a few days. He began to live with pomp and show. He rolled in money and enjoyed all the facilities of life. He was respected and honored everywhere. He was invited by the elite to great feasts.

Everyone envied his fortunes but he was not satisfied with the way in which fortuned smiled on him. The more he became rich, the more he became greedy. Actually, he was poor at heart. He was not contented. He wanted to be a millionaire overnight. He thought of several devices to materialize his ambition. He thought,

" One egg daily. It will take me several years to become a millionaire. It is a very painful thing. Allah is not doing justice with me."

He was so impatient that he could not wait for several months. He could not wait for the eggs to come out one by one. His brains are working quickly. At last, a plan flashed through his mind to fulfill his false desire. He took a momentous decision of killing the hen, opening its stomach, acquiring all the eggs at one and the same time and growing rich within ours. He told this plan to his wife. She was a sensible woman. She warned him this:

"Don't be so impatient and greedy. You will lose the hen as well as the eggs."

But he paid a deaf ear to her warning. His greed made bim insane. He could not wait anymore. Next day, he caught the hen and broke open its stomach with a knife and started to look for golden eggs. He was overjoyed to think that soon he would have a lot of wealth. But to his disappointment and horror, he found no egg lying there. He beat his breast in woe and wailing.

He repented of his stupidity and hasty action which was done without consideration. In the hope of getting many eggs at one time, he had lost the hen and could not get the eggs consequently. He forgot that greed is a curse and contentment is a great blessing. His greediness was the cause of his misfortune. But it was of no use. He was ashamed by everyone for what he had done. His family and friends started cursing him. He took this loss to his heart which ruined his health. We learn from this story that we should take every step with care and caution, cool-mindedly and wisely because sometimes actions done in haste lead us to loss and suffering. It is often wiser to be slow but sure. It is better to accept one thing that is certain than two which you may or may not get in future. A person who acts without thinking, of the consequences very often comes to harm.

Possible Morals:

1. Greed is a curse.
2. It is no use crying over split milk.
3. Haste makes waste.
4. All covet, all lose.
5. Something is better than nothing.
6. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
7. Look before you leap.