Working Smarter, Not Harder

By: Ann Zhao

In the fable The Fox and the Horse, written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, an old horse is abandoned by his master because the master believes that the horse no longer serves a purpose to him. In order for the horse to return to his care, the master challenges the horse to bring back a lion. With the help of a fox, the horse manages to outsmart a lion, bring it back to his master, and return to his care.

This fable helps the reader learn a very valuable lesson: work smarter, not harder. At first, the horse is overwhelmed by the hefty task his master has assigned to him. However, after meeting a fox, the fox tells the horse to “lie down, stretch out as if you were dead, and do not stir.” By pretending to be dead rather than using brute force, the horse is able to tie up the lion and bring home to his master. If the horse had attempted to herd a ferocious lion with its strength alone, the situation would have inevitably ended in a bloody scene. However, by using absolutely no violence or strength, the horse fools the lion and completes the task.

Readers can use this lesson of working smarter rather than harder to apply it to their everyday lives such as rolling a heavy round object rather than carrying it, or putting items inside other items to save space when packing a suitcase.