Arrogance

In ancient times, there was an evil princess, ugly in appearance, wicked in character. She would hate people, rebuke them, mock them, and belittle them. Everyone who knew her and feared her served her because of the evilness of her nature. She had servants and maidens who would cheat people repeatedly, then return to her with their news and secrets. Whenever she heard what was discussed about her, her heart would burn with malice and she would rage terribly, so that no one would dare approach her or look at her face. ...

The colored butterfly perched on a branch in the flourishing garden among roses and beautiful flowers. She moved from flower to flower, from leaf to leaf, proud and joyful at what God had bestowed upon her of beauty and gracefulness. Then she began to speak to herself, saying: “How wonderful my body and its proportion and gracefulness, and how beautiful my colors that resemble all the colors of nature, and how sweet my two soft wings like silk. Without doubt I am the most beautiful thing God the Exalted has created in this garden, and its most wonderful. I am the queen of the garden.” ...

Humility is a praiseworthy trait that we should all adorn ourselves with. It is one of the most important morals that bring friends closer to us and make us bound together without any feeling of grudge or resentment—especially since arrogance takes its place when the trait of humility is absent from us. The donkey Kurkūsh lived in the beautiful forest alongside his neighbors the animals, where they lived in adjacent houses. A neighbor has rights over his neighbor: not to be arrogant or proud toward him. But Kurkūsh was not like that. He would walk every day in the forest on the banks of its clear river, strutting in arrogance, saying to all the animals in the forest: “I am better than you all. I have a body with a strong constitution that endures hardships and carries loads without fatigue or boredom.” He would look at them all as he spoke to them, displaying his strength before them. ...