Section 160
The Two Frogs explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
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Two Frogs were neighbours. One lived in a marsh, where there was plenty of water, which frogs love: the other in a lane some distance away, where all the water to be had was that which lay in the ruts after rain. The Marsh Frog warned his friend and pressed him to come and live with him in...
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Public-domain original
Two Frogs were neighbours. One lived in a marsh, where there was
plenty of water, which frogs love: the other in a lane some distance
away, where all the water to be had was that which lay in the ruts
after rain. The Marsh Frog warned his friend and pressed him to come
and live with him in the marsh, for he would find his quarters there
far more comfortable and--what was still more important--more safe.
But the other refused, saying that he could not bring himself to move
from a place to which he had become accustomed. A few days afterwards
a heavy waggon came down the lane, and he was crushed to death under
the wheels.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
Two frogs consider moving, but one warns they may face the same danger elsewhere.
Why this scene matters
This fable teaches that changing places does not always solve the underlying problem.
Characters in this scene
- Two Frogs: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
Two frogs want to leave a drying pond. One asks whether another pond could dry up too.