Long ago, there were twelve young men. They were so lazy they became famous for it. By day, they wouldn’t lift a finger; by night, they wouldn’t stir. Their favorite pastime was gathering on the grass to compete over who was the laziest, each boasting he was the ultimate slacker.

The First Lazy Boy’s Method

The first one spoke up: “You lot? None of you can hold a candle to me! I’m the master of slacking off. I’m the best at looking after myself—eating well, drinking plenty. I only have one meal a day, and after that, I rest for a while. I wait until I’m hungry again before eating—that way, it tastes even better! Getting up in the morning? Absolutely not. I always wait until the sun is almost overhead before slowly finding a spot to take my nap. The boss calls me? I pretend not to hear. Even if I do, I wait a while, rise slowly, then shuffle over. How comfortable life is!“

The Second Slacker’s Horse-Feeding Trick

The second slacker chuckled, ”Your tricks are child’s play! I watch the horses, but I often don’t feed them. Sometimes when the boss asks, I just say offhand that I’ve already fed them. But really, I’m already lying in the oat pile taking a nap, sleeping for four whole hours. When I wake up, I kick the horse a few times with my foot, pretending that’s grooming it. I do as little as possible—I’m not about to work myself to death!“

The Third Slacker: Lazy Enough to Get Soaked

The third slacker said, ” Ha! That’s nothing! I never lift a finger. When it’s sunny, I bask in the sun and sleep. Rain? I can’t be bothered to seek shelter—I just let the downpour drench me. The raindrops beat down with a loud patter, even knocking out a few hairs from my head, but I couldn’t care less. Finally, I got a gash on my head, so I just slapped on a band-aid and carried on as usual. I’ve got several scars like that!”

The Fourth Slacker’s Excuse

The fourth slacker chimed in: “Before I work, I must loaf around for an hour to build up my strength. Then I’ll ask if anyone else is helping. If someone is, that’s even better—I’ll just stand by and watch them do it. You see, I hate getting my hands dirty. Too much work is exhausting.”

The Fifth Slacker’s Manure-Hauling Method

The fifth slacker declared, “You’re nothing compared to me! I dread nothing more than mucking out the stables. If I had to do it, I’d take my sweet time. After each shovel of manure, I’d rest a bit before loading it onto the cart. Even if I only filled one cart a day, that’d be plenty—I refuse to work myself to death!”

The Sixth Slacker Goes Three Weeks Without Changing Clothes

The sixth slacker shook his head. “None of that compares to me. I haven’t taken off my clothes in three weeks! If my shoes fall off, they fall off—too lazy to tie them. When I climb stairs, I lift one foot per step, then slowly count the remaining steps so I know when I can sit down and rest.”

The Seventh Slacker Doesn’t Even Want to Move

The seventh slacker drawled, “My boss watches me work, but when he’s not home, I move as slow as a sloth. To get me moving, you’d need four strong men to push me. Once I get into bed, I never want to get up again. If the boss wants me back, he’ll have to carry me out—bed and all!”

The Eighth Slacker’s Extreme Laziness

The eighth lazybones chuckled, “I’m the most energetic! But I’m too lazy to even step over rocks—I’d rather just lie down on the ground. If my clothes get wet or dirty, I won’t change them. I just keep lying there until the sun dries them. At most, I’ll roll over to let the sun dry them more evenly.”

The Ninth Lazy Man Starves Himself

The ninth lazybones declared, “You think laziness is a joke? One day, bread lay right before me, but I was too lazy to reach for it and nearly starved to death. A large jug stood nearby, but it was too heavy to lift. I’d rather go hungry and thirsty than bother to turn over.”

The Tenth Lazy Man Too Lazy to Dodge a Cart

The tenth lazy man continued, “My laziness nearly killed me. Once, with one leg broken and the other swollen, I lay stretched out on the road. A carriage came along and rolled right over my leg. I could have pulled it back, but I was too lazy to move—too lazy even to swat away a mosquito.”

The Eleventh Slacker Got Fired

The eleventh slacker said, “I quit yesterday—well, actually, my boss fired me. I was too lazy to lift a finger, not even to fetch his books. Then his clothes left on the floor got eaten by moths. He flew into a rage and kicked me out.”

The Twelfth Slacker Nearly Wrecked the Wagon

The last slacker said, “Today I drove the wagon to the countryside and even made a comfy bed in it. But I slept so soundly I dropped the reins, nearly letting the horse bolt. The harness fell off, and the wagon got stuck in a mud pit. Too lazy to care, I just kept sleeping. Thankfully the boss came and pulled it out—otherwise I’d still be lying in that wagon!”

The Truth Behind the Story

“The Twelve Lazy Men” is an exaggerated, satirical tale from Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The story doesn’t claim that people are truly so lazy they won’t eat, drink, or move. Instead, it uses an extreme example to mock laziness. This exaggerated style is amusing, but it carries a deeper meaning: Laziness not only robs people of opportunities but also leads them into danger. The misfortunes of the twelve lazybones serve as a warning that cutting corners only makes life worse.

The Lesson the Story Teaches

The story aims to make people understand that laziness is not a wise way to live. If one does nothing, they not only gain nothing but also push themselves into trouble. Hard work and diligence are what make life better; cutting corners only leads to losing trust and missing opportunities. Though the story is humorously exaggerated, its message is simple: don’t do nothing just because you’re afraid of trouble—you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.