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by Aesop | 1484
Step into the world of Aesop's Fables, where animals talk, schemes unravel, and human nature gets put under the microscope.
The slow-and-steady Tortoise schools the cocky Hare. A slick Fox throws an Ass under the bus to save his own tail. Greed wrecks everything in the tale of the Golden Goose, and a thirsty Pigeon learns the hard way that diving headfirst doesn't always end well.
These stories might be old, but the lessons hit just as hard today.
The Hare and the Tortoise
Notable Quotes:
- "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race.”
- "The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course."
Summary:
- A boastful Hare challenges a slow Tortoise to a race.
- The Hare, overconfident, takes a nap during the race.
- The Tortoise, despite its slow pace, continues steadily without stopping.
- The Tortoise wins the race, teaching that slow and steady wins the race.
The Fox and the Goat
Notable Quotes:
- "If... you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards.”
- “You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before you had inspected the way up..."
Summary:
- A Fox falls into a well and can't escape.
- A thirsty Goat comes along, and the Fox tricks him into jumping into the well.
- The Fox uses the Goat to climb out of the well, then abandons him.
- The moral is to look before you leap, and consider consequences.
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs
Notable Quotes:
- "A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which laid a Golden Egg every day."
- "...imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once."
Summary:
- A couple owns a goose that lays one golden egg every day.
- Greedy for more wealth, they kill the goose, thinking it's full of gold.
- They find the goose is ordinary inside and lose their daily golden egg.
- The fable warns that much wants more and loses all.
The Ass, The Fox and the Lion
Notable Quotes:
- "I'll manage that you shall get hold of the Ass without the trouble of stalking him, if you'll promise to let me go free."
- "When the Lion saw that the Ass was safely caught... it was to the Fox that he first turned his attention, and he soon finished him off..."
Summary:
- The Fox betrays the Ass, leading him into a trap in exchange for his own safety.
- The Lion, after securing the Ass, immediately turns on and devours the treacherous Fox first.
- The lesson is clear: betray a friend, and you'll often find you have ruined yourself.
The Thirsty Pigeon
Notable Quotes:
- "Not supposing it to be only a picture, she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard, jarring herself terribly."
- "Having broken her wings by the blow, she fell to the ground, and was caught by one of the bystanders."
Summary:
- A very thirsty Pigeon sees what appears to be water painted on a signboard.
- Without thinking, she flies directly at the painting, crashing into it.
- She breaks her wings and falls to the ground, where she is captured.
- The moral emph
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