86Thousand400: Aesop's Fables

1. The Gnat and the Lion

A gnat came and said to a lion: “I do not least fear you, nor are you stronger than I am - for in what does your strength consist? You can scratch with your claws, and bite with your teeth - so can a woman in her quarrels. I repeat that I am altogether more powerful than you, and if you doubt it, let us fight and see who will conquer.” The gnat, having sounded his horn, fastened itself upon the lion, and stung him on his nostrils. The lion, trying to crush him, tore himself with his claws, until he punished himself severely. The gnat thus prevailed over the lion and buzzing about in a song of triumph flew away. But shortly afterwards he became entangled in the meshes of a cobweb, and was eaten by a spider. He greatly lamented his fate, saying: “Woe is me, that I, who can wage war successfully with he hugest of beasts, should perish myself from this spider”

+spread the love

+stay humble

+bekind

+doontootherswhatyouwouldlikedonetoyourself

2. The Wolf and the Shepherd

A wolf followed a flock of sheep for a long time, and did not attempt to injure one of them. The shepherd at first stood on his guard against him, as against an enemy, and kept strict watch over his movements. But when the wolf, days after day, kept in the company of the sheep, and did not make the slightest effort to seize them, the shepherd began to upon him as a guardian of his flock rather than a plotter of evil against it; and when occasion called him one day into the city, he left the sheep entirely in his charge. The wolf, now that he had the opportunity, fell upon the sheep, and destroyed the greater part of the flock. The shepherd, on his return, finding his flock destroyed, exclaimed: “I have been rightly served; why did I trust my sheep to a wolf?”

• An evil mind will show an evil action, sooner or later

• +becarefulwhoyoutrust

• +patience (from the perspective of the wolf)

3. The Trees and the Axe

A man came into the forest, and mad a petition to the trees to provide him a handle for his axe. The trees consented to his request, and gave him a young ash tree. No sooner had the man fitted from it a new handle to his axe, then he began to use it, and quickly felled with his strokes the noblest giants of the forest. An old oak, lamenting when too late the destruction of his companions, said to a neighbouring cedar: “The first step has lost us all. If we had not given up the rights to the ash, we might have retained our own privileges and have stood for ages”

• In yielding the rights of others, we may endanger our own

• +lookafternumberone

• +savepaper *chopsdowntrees +paradox

4. The Wolf and the Crane

A wolf having a bone stuck in his throat, hired a crane, for a large sum, to put her head into his throat and draw out the bone. When the crane had extracted the bone, and demanded the promised payment, the wolf grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed: “Why, you surely already have sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf”.

• In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful you escape injury for your pains

• +gotowardsgoodenergy

5. The Geese and the Cranes

The geese and the cranes fed in the same meadow. A bird catcher came to ensnare them in his nets. The cranes being light of wing, flew away at his approach, while the geese, being slower of flight and heavier in their bodies were captured

• Those who are caught are not always the most guilty

• staynimble

6. The Dog and the Manger

A dog lay in a manger and by his growling and snapping prevented the oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for them. “What a selfish dog!” Said one of them to his companions”, he cannot eat the hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat who can.”

• We should not deprive others of blessing because we cannot enjoy them ourselves

• +happinessforothers

7. The Prophet

A wizard, sitting in the market place, told the fortunes of the passers by. A person ran up in great haste, and announced to him that the doors of his house had been broken open, and that all his goods were being stolen. He sighed heavily, and hastened away as fast as he could. A neighbour saw him running, and said “Oh! You follow those? You say you can fortell the fortunes of others, how is it you did not foresee your own?

• +practisewhatyoupreach

• +actionsspeaklouderthanwords

8. The Woman and her Hen

A woman possessed a hen that gave her an egg everyday. She often thought to herself how she might obtain two eggs daily instead of one, and at last to gain her purpose, determined to give the hen a double allowance of barley. From that day the hen became fat and speck, and never laid another egg

• covetousness overeacheth itself

• +Lessismore

• +gratitude

• +appreciation

9. The Father and his Sons

A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarrelling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his extortions, he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it into pieces. They each tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next enclosed the faggot, and took the sticks, separately, one by one, and again put them into their hands, on which they broke them easily. He then addressed them with these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all enemies, but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks”

• Disunited families are easily injured by others

• +healthyself

• +healthefamily

• +love

• +unite

10. The Tortoise and the Eagles

A tortoise, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea birds of her hard fate, that no-one would teach her to fly. An eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation, and demanded what reward she would give him, if he would take her aloft, and float her in the air. “I will give you”, she said “all the riches in the Red Sea”. “I will teach you to fly then,” said the Eagle, and taking her up in her talons he carried her almost to the clouds, when suddenly letting go, she fell on a lofty mountain, and dashed her shell to pieces. The tortoise exclaimed in her moment of death: “I have deserved my present fate, for what had I to do with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty move about the earth?”

• If men had all they wished, they would be ruined

• +appreciatewhatyouhave

• +homosapiens

• +animals

• +innate

• +nature

• +create

• +tooclever

11. The Ass and his Shadow

A traveller hired an Ass to convert him to a distant place. The day being intensely hot, and the sun shining in it’s strength, the traveller stopped to rest, and sought shelter from the heat under the shadow of the Ass. As this afforded only protection for one, and as the traveler and the owner of the Ass both claimed it, a violent dispute arose between them as to which of them had the right to it. The owner maintained that he had let the Ass only, and not his shadow. The traveller asserted that he had, with the hire of the Ass, hired his shadow also. The quarrel proceeded from words to blows, and while the men fought the Ass galloped off

• In quarrelling about the shadow we often lose the substance

• +communication

• +appreciatewhatyouhaveforitwillsoonallbegone

12. The Dog and his Shadow

A dog, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water, and took it for another dog, with a piece of meat double his own size. He therefore let go his own, and fiercely attacked the other dog, to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both - that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow and his own, because the stream swept it away

• It is not wise to be too greedy

• +appreciatewhatyouhave

• +gratitude

• +theneedforless

13. The Hare and the Tortoise

A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the tortoise. The latter, laughing, said: “Though you be as swift as the wind. I will beat you in a race”. The hare, deeming her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the fox should choose the course, and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race they started together. The tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The hare, trusting to his native swiftness cared little about the race, and lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue

• Perseverance is surer than swiftness

• +littlebylittleonetravelsfar

• +persistence

14. The Tortoise and the Two Ducks

A tortoise, becoming tired of her humble home, resolved to visit foreign lands, but she did not know which way to go. She reproved to two ducks to show her the road, and they told her that the best way to travel was through the air. On her imploring their help they made her grasp a stick with her mouth, and so they bore her aloft. As they flew away, the gaping people beneath shouted at sight of the spectacle. The vain tortoise mistook their shouts for applause. “I am surely a queen,” she said. But, alas! As she opened her mouth to speak she lost hold of the stick, and, falling to the ground she was dashed to pieces

• Those who are not able to roam should stay at home

• +whatisourinnate

• +findyourenvirnment

• +humans

• +explorers

• +reducingenergydemands

15. The Fox and the Turkeys

A fox spied some turkeys roosting in a tree. He managed to attract their attention and then ran about the tree, pretended to climb, walked on his hind legs, and did all sorts of tricks. Filled with fear, the Turkeys watched everyone of his movements until they became dizzy, and, one by one, fell from their safe perch

• By too much attention to danger, we may fall victims to it

• +don’tfocusontheneg

• +focusonthepoz

16. The Old Woman and the Wine Jar

An old woman found an empty jar which had lately been full of prime old wine, and which she still retained the fragrant smell of its former contents. She greedily placed it several times to her nose, and drawing it backwards and forwards, said: ‘“ most delicious! How nice must the wine itself have been when it leaves behind in the very vessel which contained it so sweet a perfume!”

• The memory of a good deed lives

• +peoplerememberhowyoumakethemfeel

• +dogood

• +legacy

17. The Wind and the Sun

A dispute once arose between the wind and the sun, which was the stronger of the two, and they agreed to settle the point upon this issue - that whichever of the two soonest made a traveller take off his cloak, should be accounted the more powerful. The wind began, and blew with all his might and main a blast, cold and fierce as a tharacian storm; but the stronger he blew, the closer the traveler wrapped his cloak around him, and the tighter he grasped it with his hands. Then broke out the sun. With his welcome beams he dispersed the vapour and the cold; the traveler felt the genial warmth, and as the sun shone brighter and brighter, he sat down, quite overcome with the heat, and taking off his cloak, cast it on the ground

*THUS the sun was declared the conqueror, and it has ever been deemed that persuasion is better than force, and that the sunshine of a kind and gentle manner will soon lay open a poor man’s heart than all the threatening and force of blustering authority

18. The Astronomer

An astronomer used to walk out every night to gaze upon the stars. It happened one night that, with his whole thoughts rapt up in the skies, he fell into a well. On who heard his cries ran up to him and said: “While you are trying to pry into the mysteries of heaven, you overlook the common objects under your feet”

• We should never look so high as to miss seeing the things that are around us

• +staypresent

• +intheworld

• +dreambig

19. The Farmer and his Sons

A farmer being on the point of death wished to insure from his sons the same attention to his farm as he had himself given it. He called them to his bedside, and said “My sons, there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards.” The sons after his death, took their spades and matlocks, and carefully dug over every potion of their land. They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labour by an extraordinary and super abundant crop

• +investinthefarminthefuture

• +greatasset

• +investment

• +land

20. The Lioness

A controversy prevailed among the beats of the field, as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at birth. The rushed clamorously into the presence of the lioness, and demanded of her the settlement of the dispute. “And you”, they said, “how many sons have you at a birth?” The Lioness laughed at them, and said: “Why! I have only one, but that one is altogether a thorough-bred lion”

• The value is in the worth, not in the number

• +qualityoverquantity

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