link to original reddit post by /u/ihaphleas
The Tortoise Wants to Fly
A tortoise, watching the swifts diving through the air, lamented his condition. "How I wish I were free as the birds of the air, able to swoop and soar wherever I wanted," he said. Hearing this one of the swifts came down and asked, "Do you see the man over there? Do you suppose he can flap his arms and fly?" "Of course not," answered the tortoise. "And yet, men can fly, higher and faster than any bird, in fact," continued the swift. "You have always been free to fly, just as man was, but only he has developed that power."
The Lion and the Wolf (The Pirate and the Emperor)
One day the Hares took the Wolf to court for all the depredations he had done against them. The Lion, being the king of the animals, heard the case. When he had heard the complaints of the Hares, he asked the Wolf if all they said was true. "Of course," answered the Wolf. "But I am no different from you, except that I prey only on the Hares, whereas you decimate the kingdom with your feasting." Hearing this, the Lion flew into a rage while the court meekly looked away.
The Cows and the Sheep
Once upon a time, the cows and the sheep lived side by side as friends, each in their own pasture. They liked to chat through their fence, but wanted to run and play together. So they joined their two pastures into a large one where they could all run and play and graze. Some time later, the cows noticed that it was more and more difficult to eat, the sheep were clipping the grass too short for them to graze. They asked the sheep not to clip the grass too short, but the sheep continued to do as was their nature. The cows saw themselves becoming thin, while the sheep were fat and happy. Finally, the cows demanded to return to how things were before, with the fence between their pastures. The sheep said, "Certainly, we can put it to a vote." But they were already more numerous than the cows.