Section 205
The Frogs and the Well explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
Two Frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the marsh dried up, and they left it to look for another place to live in: for frogs like damp places if they can get them. By and by they came to a deep well, and one of them looked down into it, and said to the other, "...
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Public-domain original
Two Frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the marsh
dried up, and they left it to look for another place to live in: for
frogs like damp places if they can get them. By and by they came to a
deep well, and one of them looked down into it, and said to the other,
"This looks a nice cool place: let us jump in and settle here." But
the other, who had a wiser head on his shoulders, replied, "Not so
fast, my friend: supposing this well dried up like the marsh, how
should we get out again?"
Think twice before you act.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
Two Frogs lived together in a marsh.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it turns the lesson “Think twice before you act.” into a compact story about everyday judgment.
Characters in this scene
- The Frogs: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
- The Well: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
Simple story version
Two Frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the marsh dried up, and they left it to look for another place to live in: for frogs like damp places if they can get them.