A short, plain story can carry a moral or spiritual lesson. A parable is that kind of narrative. The characters and events are simple; the meaning is meant to be applied to the listener’s own life. The parables of Jesus in the New Testament are the most widely known examples in Western culture, but the form exists in many religious and philosophical traditions.

Parables differ from fables in that they usually feature human characters rather than talking animals, and from allegories in that they tend to make a single main point rather than a detailed system of correspondences. The power of a parable lies in its concreteness: an everyday situation becomes the vehicle for insight. Listeners are invited to recognize themselves in the story and to draw the implication.

Because the lesson is embedded rather than stated outright, parables can provoke reflection rather than mere assent. They also travel well across time and culture when the central situation remains recognizable. Writers and teachers continue to invent new parables when they want to convey ethical or spiritual teaching through narrative rather than through abstract argument.