The Frog in a Well
Ancient Chinese Story

There was a frog that lived in a shallow well.

" Look how well off I am here ! " he told a big turtle from the Eastern Ocean. " I can hop along the coping of the well when I go out, and rest by a crevice in the bricks on my return. I can wallow to my heart's content with only my head above water, or stroll ankle deep through soft mud. No crabs or tadpoles can compare with me. I am master of the water and lord of this shallow well, What more can a fellow ask ? Why don't you come here more often to have a good time ? "

Before the turtle from the Eastern Ocean could get his left foot into the well, however, he caught his right calw on something. So he halted and stepped back then began to describe the ocean to the frog.

" It's more than a thousand miles across and more than ten thousand feet deep. In ancient times there were floods nine years out of ten yet the water in the ocean never increased.

And later there were droughts seven years out of eight yet the water in the ocean never grew less. It has remained quite constant throughtout the ages. That is why I like to live in the Eastern Ocean. "

Then the frog in the shallow well was silent and felt a little abashed.

The frog was proud of being the sole master of a well. He thought this was a big achievement, and bragged to the turtle about it, saying "why dont you come here more often to have a good time?"

The turtle described the sea to the frog, and the frog felt humbled and embarassed.

If one gets a glimpse of truth, one is humble. If one lives in sheltered wells and is satisfied, one is proud. But this pride is empty, because being the master of a little home and being the lord of a tiny sliver of reality, is not something to be vain about.

Humility seems to be the lesson. The frog seemed to be a little better-than-thou toward the turtle. But the turtle kicked him in the face with his comment.


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alternatively, it is an invitation to do something with your life other than being satisfied with it. Go out there and live in the ocean, the real world that is vast and wide, instead of being stuck on your island all the time. No man is an island. Being an island leads to being proud and having a God Complex that is a misplaced sense of self-worth.

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This is how this story resonated within me, at least.

To me, it was a good replica of being in your comfort zone. To the frog it was a good place to be. It was his own little place where he felt great. And the turtle began to tell him about the 'real world' on the form of the ocean. Once the frog begins to think about (think about the world outside of his comfort zone) he begins to see how insignicant his well was compared to the ocean.

What you think Zac L?

I feel that in a way it relates to consistency, the well might be comfortable. but it's an uncertain place to be. a flood can ruin it so can a drought.

Also the frog is taken back because he did not know better, so he made what he had sound incredible. He has a full cup.