One day a countryman going to the nest of his goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he picked it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him.

But, on second thoughts, he took it home, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold.

After that, every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew richer he grew greedier; and thinking to get all the gold the goose could give at once, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing.

The Moral

Greed oft o'er reaches itself.

!Note - Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg is now an idiom, which means, don't destroy something that is profitable.