Never Say Never: The Tale of Two Frogs

Don’t Ever Give Up

Once a big fat frog and a lively little frog were hopping along together when they had the misfortune to jump straight into a pail of fresh milk. They swam for hours and hours, hoping to get out somehow; but the sides of the pail were steep and slippery, and death seemed certain.

When the big frog was exhausted he lost courage. There seemed no hope of rescue. “Why keep struggling against the inevitable? I can’t swim any longer, ” he moaned. “Keep on! Keep on! ” urged the little frog, who was still circling the pail. So they went on for a while. But the big frog decided it was no use. “Little brother, we may as well give up, ” he gasped, “I’m going to quit struggling.

Now only the little frog was left. He thought to himself, “Well, to give up is to be dead, so I will keep on swimming. Two more hours passed and the tiny legs of the determined little frog were almost paralyzed with exhaustion. It seemed as if he could not keep moving for another minute. But then he thought of his dead friend, and repeated, “To give up is to be meat for someone’s table, so I’ll keep on paddling until I die–if death is to come–but I will not cease trying–‘ while there is life, there’s hope! ‘”

Intoxicated with determination, the little frog kept on, around and around and around the pail, chopping the milk into white waves. After a while, just as he felt completely numb and thought he was about to drown, he suddenly felt something solid under him. To his astonishment, he saw that he was resting on a lump of butter which he had churned by his incessant paddling! And so the successful little frog leaped out of the milk pail to freedom.

If you feel you have something you need to do in this life, something you feel is meaningful, never give up, and keep pushing even if it’s until your last breath, if you have a clear aim and unshakeable determination, you too can jump into freedom.

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