英文版的《守株待兔》如下：
Once upon a time, there was a farmer. One day, while he was working in the fields, he saw a hare run into a tree stump accidentally and die of a broken neck.
從前，有壹個農夫。壹天，在他耕田的時候，忽然跑過來壹只野兔，恰好碰在壹個樹樁上，脖子折斷死了。
The farmer took the hare home and cooked a delicious meal for himself.
農夫把兔子拾回家去，美美地吃了壹頓兔肉。
That night he thought: "I needn't work so hard. All I have to do is wait every day by the stump to pick up the hare that runs into it."
當晚，他就想：“我何必辛辛苦苦的種地呢？每天在樹樁旁等著撿撞死的野兔就好了”。
So from then on he gave up farming, and stood by the tree stump waiting for the hare to come and run into it.
於是他從此不再耕種，每天在樹樁旁等待野兔的到來。
But from then on, he never saw another hare run into the tree stump.
但是，從那以後，他再沒有發現壹只野兔撞在樹樁上。
成語寓意
野兔撞在樹樁上死去，這是非常偶然的事，它並不意味著，別的野兔也壹定會撞死在這個樹樁上。可是，這個農夫竟然以偶然當作必然，不惜放下農具，任其耕田荒蕪，專等偶然的收獲。
這個故事告誡我們：不要存有僥幸心理，不要總想著不勞而獲，如果不付出努力，而寄希望於意外之財，結果只能是竹籃打水壹場空。我們的生活是要靠自己的雙手去壹點點地創造的，如果總想不勞而獲，那麽人生就會像這個宋國人的田地壹樣荒廢掉。