The woodcutter's axe

Stories & Lessons · 2 min

A short tale about rest as part of the work

A young woodcutter was hired by a timber merchant. On the first day he cut eighteen trees. Proud, he worked even harder the next day, but cut only fifteen. Then twelve. Then ten.

Ashamed, he went to apologise. The merchant asked, "When did you last sharpen your axe?" "Sharpen it?" he said. "I've been far too busy cutting trees."

The lesson

Rest, sleep and stepping back are not time lost. They are how you keep your edge.

From the Quran & Sunnah

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