Skip to main content

English Short Stories

The Greedy Farmer: A Short English Story with a Moral Lesson on Greed

The Greedy Farmer: A Short English Story with a Moral Lesson on Greed

A tired farmer running across fields at sunset after trying to claim too much land
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Ravi was a farmer in a small village. He had good land and grew healthy crops every year. But he was never happy. He always wanted more.

One day, a wise old man came to the village. Ravi went to him and said, “I want more land. I want to become the richest farmer.”

The old man said, “I will give you as much land as you can walk around in one day. But you must return before sunset.”

Ravi started early the next morning. He walked quickly and covered a large area. But every time he saw more land, he thought, “This is not enough.”

He kept going. Soon, he felt tired. But he did not stop.

By afternoon, he realised he was very far from the starting point. Now he had to return.

Ravi started running. He was tired and thirsty. His legs hurt, but he kept running.

Just before sunset, he reached the starting place. But he fell down immediately.

He had no energy left.

The old man looked at him and said, “You wanted too much.”

In the end, Ravi needed only a small piece of land.

💡 The Lesson Inside
Greed makes us lose what we already have.
✨ Words Worth Keeping
Greed
Wanting more than needed
Satisfied
Happy with what you have
Return
To go back
Tired
Needing rest
Energy
Strength to do work
📚 Quick Glossary
Farmer
a person who grows crops or raises animals on land
Crops
plants grown for food, such as wheat, rice, or vegetables
Sunset
the time in the evening when the sun disappears below the horizon
Tired
needing rest or sleep after using energy
Thirsty
feeling a need to drink water
Energy
the strength and power to do physical work
🎬 See It in Action
1

He was never happy with his results.

2

She said, “This is not enough,” and asked for more.

3

He kept going even when he felt tired.

4

Their school is very far from here.

5

After the match, he had no energy left.

🗣️ Say It Right
Farmer
/FAR-mer/
Crops
/KROPS/
Sunset
/SUN-set/
Tired
/TIRED (rhymes with "wired")/
Thirsty
/THIR-stee/
Energy
/EN-er-jee/

🎯 Complete the Story Challenges

🧩 Vocabulary Explorer ✏️ Context Architect ⏳ Timeline Master ✍️ Creative Novelist
Game 1: Word Match ✨ Reward: +10 XP

Vocabulary Matcher

Match the vocabulary word on the left with its correct meaning on the right.

Return
Greed
Tired
Satisfied
Needing rest
To go back
Happy with what you have
Wanting more than needed

One more story before you go...

A young black crow perched on a neem tree branch at dusk, surrounded by white doves below, moral story about identity and staying true to yourself.

The Crow Who Forgot His Name

Reading Time: 2 minutesIn a small temple garden in Bangalore, there lived a crow named Kavi. He was sleek and clever, with feathers black as monsoon clouds. But he was always alone. Every

Read More »

Stories you may like...

An elderly Indian woman in a simple saree and chappals standing at an apartment door, holding a sheet of paper with one line written on it: "Please pay Sunita&apos;s wages." Behind her, a housing society staircase in Mumbai. In the distance, a broom leans against a wall. Warm afternoon light. Watercolour illustration, emotional and restrained.

Reading Time: 2 minutesMrs Kulkarni had one sheet of paper and forty-two doors. She was seventy-one and lived on the second floor of

Read More »
Indian mother Mala standing at her kitchen window over the sink at 4:10 PM, holding a cold cup of tea, looking at an empty lane where the school bus used to stop. Old metal tins with mint, green chillies, and a small crooked marigold sit on the windowsill. Her nineteen-year-old son Arnab stands at the kitchen door, watching her. Warm golden afternoon light falls on the tiled floor. A quiet, emotional scene of waiting and recognition.

Reading Time: 2 minutesAt 4:10 every afternoon, the kitchen belonged to Mala. A narrow square of sunlight came through the kitchen window above

Read More »
Before the Bell Rings – Hetvi Faces Her Fear

Reading Time: 2 minutesHetvi had stage fear. Everyone in Class 7 knew it. Last year, during assembly, she had forgotten her own name

Read More »

Readers Also Enjoyed

📖 Finding your next story...

Learn something new

[ess_learning_sidebar]
English Short Stories logo

Straight to Your Inbox