A turtle climbed onto a reef and was seen by a seabird. The bird flattered, saying: Mr. Turtle, if you can climb onto the reef, you must be able to climb a big mountain.
The turtle thought: Yes, if I can climb onto the reef, why can't I climb a big mountain? I can, I definitely can!
Without much thought, the turtle swam out of the sea, reached the foot of the mountain near the beach, and began climbing up.
A monkey on the mountain saw it and asked what it was doing. The turtle said it wanted to climb the mountain. The monkey immediately tried to dissuade it, telling it not to climb. But the turtle didn’t listen, thinking that if it could climb onto the reef, it could certainly climb the mountain, so it kept climbing.
After climbing just a little way, the turtle couldn’t hold onto the rocky surface and rolled down with a thud. The turtle wasn’t convinced, climbed again, and fell down once more. This time, it landed exactly on a big rock at the foot of the mountain, causing its shell to crack.
The monkey ran over and said: How’s that going? If you don’t listen to advice and only believe in flattery, how can you not fail?
The turtle had no words to respond.