This page started off as a list of a few popular parables across religions. I then expanded it to include secular parables, e.g. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". It then seemed a good place to put some popular stories and Confucius' wisdom.
Parables
A parable is a short allegory. Parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and conveying a message or wisdom.

The Greek term for 'parable' found in the Bible, is para-bolê coming from Sanskrit paryâyas.


The Prodigal Son	Christian Bible - Luke 15:11-32 
Father searches for run away son.	Lotus Sutra teachings of Mahayana Buddhism 

The Good Samaritan	Christian Bible - Luke 10:25-37

Buddhist Farmer - bad/good luck

The Blind Men and the Elephant 	Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sufi lore

All Is Vanity	  Buddhist

Parable of the White Path	Buddhist

Secular Parables:
The Boy Who Cried Wolf in Aesop's Fables
The Emperor's New Clothes, Hans Christian Anderson

A few popular Bible Stories New Testament: Woman at the Well John 4:1-40. The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:1-7:29 Jesus Feeds the 5000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15. Jesus Walks on Water Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead The Triumphal Entry of Jesus The Last Supper Matthew 26:14-29 Mark 14:12-25 Luke 22:8-38 John 13:1 to 17:26 The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ Matthew 27:27-56, Mark 15:21-38, Luke 23:26-49, and John 19:16-37. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ Matthew 28 Mark 16 Luke 24 John 20:1 to 21:15 Ascension of Jesus Christ Luke 24:51-53 Acts 1:1-11 Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-41 Conversion of Paul

The Sutras (Sanskrit; Pali Sutta) are mostly discourses attributed to the Buddha or one of his close disciples. They are all, even those not actually spoken by him, considered to be 'Buddhavacana' or the word of the Buddha
Confucius:
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life.
Most of his thoughts are documented in sayings and wisdom and not stories or parables.
See some quotes.

Preaching parables: a metaphorical interfaith approach By Steven J. Voris

Links:
Books - Sacred texts
Parables - Devotional ethics and morals taught through short stories at hknet.org.nz
Bible stories and events
Parables of Jesus - Wikipedia
The Parables of Jesus at ovrlnd.com
Buddhism in Christianity at HinduWisdom.info
Qur'anic topics, stories, characters and parables - Islamweb.net -English
Thus Have I Heard: Buddhist Parables and Stories - Dharmaweb
A Collection of Buddhist Stories at the Buddhism Study and Practice Group (BSPG) at SUNY at Stony Brook
Examples of Parables in Literature | eHow.com
Confucius Quotes - The Quotations Page

last updated 11 Nov 2011