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Aesop's Fables
By definition, fables are not true stories. Nevertheless, these are maxims; proverbial truths we are already fully aware of, but nevertheless benefit from being reminded of from time to time.
These timeless stories have been passed down for thousands of years by different cultures around the world, including one of the stories discovered on Egyptian papyri from 3,000 years ago.
About 2,600 years ago, a man named Aesop, like the Brothers Grimm, wrote down many of these short and delightful stories, some of which are reproduced below. The fine details have undoubtedly changed but the moral within each fable remains the same. So much so that they have become the "user guide to life", the moral diet for educators; told and retold, easy to remember and understand by all ages.
Some of these fables are contradictions of others and so might not have been penned by Aesop (marked * in the list below) but have slipped into the Aesopica over the centuries. Indeed, some people suggest that Aesop's very existence is a fable, in which case any mis-attributation is a not something to worry about.
Instead just read these fables, be entertained, learn the origin of terms such as "sour grapes", listen to the viper talking with the metal file, lose yourself in the absurd fantasies, and emerge a better person than you were yesterday.
Sorted by title
(Some of these fables are known by different titles. The Tortoise and the Hare, for example, is also known as The Hare and the Tortoise. So we've duplicated the listing of many titles to make it easier for you.
This does, however, add to the confusion in some cases. For example, there's a fable named The Kid and the Wolf, and there's a different fable already listed as The Wolf and the Kid. In these cases, we've labelled them (I) and (II).
We do not always like to be taken at our word.
A mother's love blinds her to many imperfections.
The grateful heart will always find opportunities to show its gratitude.
Idleness brings want.
You a king, and not understand a trap!
Is the level way through the desert closed?
The misfortunes arising from a man's own misconduct are the hardest to bear.
The perverse generally come to harm.
A man is known by the company he keeps.
In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance.
Dignity cannot afford to quarrel with its inferiors.
Be not hasty to envy the condition of others.
In injuring others we are apt to receive a greater injury.
Where one may live, another may starve.
Where, O boaster, are now all thy gay trappings, thou who art thyself reduced to the condition you so lately treated with contempt?
I have brought it all on myself! Why could I not have been contented to labour with my companions, and not try to live by idleness?
I assure you, you would have frightened me too, if I had not known you to be an Ass.
Every one to his trade.
The same measures will not suit all circumstances.
They are not wise who take to themselves the credit due to others.
Every one to his taste: one man's meat is another man's poison, and one man's poison is another man's meat; what is rejected by one person may be valued very highly by another.
No disguise will hide ones true character.
False confidence often leads into danger.
Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
Traitors must expect treachery.
Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
False confidence often leads into danger.
Traitors must expect treachery.
By endeavouring to please every-body, he had succeeded in pleasing nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain.
By endeavouring to please every-body, he had succeeded in pleasing nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain.
We should never look so high as to miss seeing the things that are around us.
In yielding the rights of others, we may endanger our own.
Those who suffer most cry out the least.
Those who cannot take care of their own, should not be entrusted with the care of another's property.
The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat; and thus a second time escaped.
Those who practice deceit must expect to be shunned.
Those who practice deceit must expect to be shunned.
Counsel, without help, is useless.
The Bees settled in swarms about his head, and stung his eyes and nose so much, that, maddened with pain, he tore the skin from his head with his own claws.
We should not wait till a person is dead, to give him our respect.
Better have no friend at all than a foolish one.
Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all the profit.
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all the profit.
Those who practice deceit must expect to be shunned.
Those who practice deceit must expect to be shunned.
The Bees settled in swarms about his head, and stung his eyes and nose so much, that, maddened with pain, he tore the skin from his head with his own claws.
Professions are best tested by deeds.
Professions are best tested by deeds.
The weak often revenge themselves on those who use them ill, even though they be the more powerful.
Those who practice deceit must expect to be shunned.
Those who practice deceit must expect to be shunned.
We are all very well, and shall continue so, if you will only be good enough to go away, and leave us as we are.
Evil tendencies are shown early in life.
Dignity cannot afford to quarrel with its inferiors.
Those who strive are often watched by others who will take advantage of their defeat to benefit themselves.
Do not rely upon a boaster.
Cure a boaster by putting his words to the test.
A man who can strike from a distance is no pleasant neighbour.
Do not attempt too much at once.
Whatever you do, do with all your might.
Counsel, without help, is useless.
What we do in sport often makes great trouble for others.
Better poverty without care, than riches with.
Do you not know that labour is the source of every blessing, and that none but those who work are entitled to eat?
Critics are not always to be depended upon.
Do not presume to teach your elders.
The smaller the Mind the greater the Conceit.
It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress.
The poor and weak are often made to suffer for the follies of the great.
Do not be in a hurry to change one evil for another.
Do not presume to teach your elders.
Is the level way through the desert closed?
It is absurd to ape our betters.
Distance exaggerates dangers.
We are all very well, and shall continue so, if you will only be good enough to go away, and leave us as we are.
It does no good to deny those who make false accusations knowingly.
A little common sense is often of more value than much cunning.
Avoid even appearances of danger.
A thief cannot be trusted, even by another thief.
Those who stir up enmities are not to be trusted.
The strong are apt to settle all questions by the rule of might.
The strong are apt to settle all questions by the rule of might.
Those who stir up enmities are not to be trusted.
Like will draw like.
Be not hasty to envy the condition of others.
It does no good to deny those who make false accusations knowingly.
To aid the vicious is to become a partner in their guilt.
I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world.
False confidence often leads into danger.
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.
False confidence often leads into danger.
Let those who propose be willing to perform.
Better a little in safety, than an abundance surrounded by danger.
Critics are not always to be depended upon.
Kindness to the ungrateful and the vicious is thrown away.
Example is more powerful than precept.
Fine feathers don't make fine birds.
In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains.
If words suffice not, blows must follow.
Those who are caught are not always the most guilty.
If you will fight, it is a kindness to crop your ears, that they may not give your enemy the advantage.
To enjoy our blessings we must have freedom.
He who listens to flattery is not wise, for it has no good purpose.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
What seem to be blessings are not always so.
Fine weather friends are not worth much.
They who assume a character will betray themselves by their actions.
Do you not know that labour is the source of every blessing, and that none but those who work are entitled to eat?
Danger sometimes comes from a source that is least suspected.
He who stops to parley with temptation, will be very likely to yield.
They are no friends whom you know not whether to trust or to distrust.
Who acts in haste repents at leisure.
It is not wise to be too greedy.
We should not deprive others of blessings because we cannot enjoy them ourselves.
Those who enter by the back stairs must not complain if they are thrown out by the window.
He who proclaims himself ready to buy up his enemies will never want a supply of them.
If you will fight, it is a kindness to crop your ears, that they may not give your enemy the advantage.
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.
It is easy to kick a man that is down.
Attempt not impossibilities.
Let every one stick to his own element.
He who once begins to tell falsehoods is obliged to tell others to make them appear true, and, sooner or later, they will get him into trouble.
We would rather perish in the contest, than be reconciled by you.
The grateful heart will always find opportunities to show its gratitude.
To enjoy our blessings we must have freedom.
The perverse generally come to harm.
Professions are best tested by deeds.
The misfortunes arising from a man's own misconduct are the hardest to bear.
The weak often revenge themselves on those who use them ill, even though they be the more powerful.
Pride goes before destruction.
The tyrant is never safe from those whom he oppresses.
We should not permit our ambition to lead us beyond the limits of our power.
Promises of a suitor must be taken with caution.
If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.
Those who stir up enmities are not to be trusted.
Those who stir up enmities are not to be trusted.
A silly Hare, seeing the shadow of his ears, was in great fear lest they should be taken for horns, and scampered away.
Because we are like the great in one respect we must not think we are like them in all.
They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labour by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.
If words suffice not, blows must follow.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Beware of unequal matches. Alliances prompted by ambition often prove fatal.
Disunited families are easily injured by others.
If your sister wishes for rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my wishes?
No arguments will give courage to the coward.
The greatest braggarts are the greatest cowards.
Pride goes before destruction.
Do not attempt too much at once.
The covetous are poor givers.
Better poverty without care, than riches with.
Pleasures are heightened by abstinence.
I should be a very simple fellow, if I were to forego my certain gain for an uncertain profit.
At last, having long waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into the sea, made an excellent haul.
O foolish creatures that we are! For the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves
Together, we stand. Divided, we fall
Those who would sacrifice their friends to save themselves from harm are not entitled to mercy.
Men often fall into the trap which they prepare for others.
You a king, and not understand a trap!
We should not wait till a person is dead, to give him our respect.
A little common sense is often of more value than much cunning.
To aid the vicious is to become a partner in their guilt.
He who listens to flattery is not wise, for it has no good purpose.
It is easy to kick a man that is down.
The tyrant is never safe from those whom he oppresses.
Look before you leap.
Revile not things beyond your reach.
When we throw off rulers or dependents, who have already made the most of us, we do but, for the most part, lay ourselves open to others, who will make us bleed yet more freely.
Flattery is a dangerous weapon in the hands of an enemy.
People are not to be judged by their coats.
Keep to your place, if you would succeed.
Acquaintance softens prejudices.
A fair face is of little use without sense.
O Monkey, and are you, with such a mind as yours, going to be king over the Beasts?
Those who practice cunning must expect to suffer by it.
There is always some vulnerable point in the strongest armour.
By too much attention to danger, we may fall victims to it.
It is too late to whet the sword when the trumpet sounds to draw it.
Indeed, I should have thanked you most fervently, if your deeds had been as good as your words.
Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
Advice prompted by selfishness should not be heeded.
Traitors must expect treachery.
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all the profit.
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.
Traitors must expect treachery.
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all the profit.
Impossible things we cannot hope to attain, and it is of no use to try.
Inconsiderate and ill-matched alliances generally end in ruin; and the man who compasses the destruction of his neighbour, is often caught in his own snare.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
What we do in sport often makes great trouble for others.
The poor and weak are often made to suffer for the follies of the great.
We are encouraged by seeing others that are worse off than ourselves.
When you seek to change your condition, be sure that you can better it.
Like will draw like.
Strangers should avoid those who quarrel among themselves.
Better have no friend at all than a foolish one.
Those who are caught are not always the most guilty.
The smaller the Mind the greater the Conceit.
But, in his carelessness, he flew directly into a spider's web, and the spider instantly seized and killed him.
Woe is me, that I, who can wage war successfully with the hugest beasts, should perish myself from this spider.
In injuring others we are apt to receive a greater injury.
It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress.
Look before you leap.
Retribution is certain.
Invitations prompted by selfishness are not to be accepted.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
Two sureties are better than one.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
Two sureties are better than one.
They who neglect their old friends for the sake of new ones, are rightly served if they lose both.
They who neglect their old friends for the sake of new ones, are rightly served if they lose both.
Much wants more, and loses all.
The foolish pair, thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived themselves of the gain of which they were day by day assured.
Sweet words may deliver us from peril, when harsh words would fail.
Much wants more, and loses all.
Revile not things beyond your reach.
Idleness brings want.
Where one may live, another may starve.
Flattery is not a proof of admiration.
Our insignificance is often the cause of our safety.
If you wish to do a service, do it right.
A silly Hare, seeing the shadow of his ears, was in great fear lest they should be taken for horns, and scampered away.
They are no friends whom you know not whether to trust or to distrust.
Incentive spurs effort.
Perseverance is surer than swiftness.
We are encouraged by seeing others that are worse off than ourselves.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.
When we throw off rulers or dependents, who have already made the most of us, we do but, for the most part, lay ourselves open to others, who will make us bleed yet more freely.
The lives of the idle can best be spared.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
The foolish pair, thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived themselves of the gain of which they were day by day assured.
If we nourish evil, it will sooner or later turn upon us.
Covetousness overreacheth itself.
That which we are anxious to find, we are sometimes even more anxious to escape from, when we have succeeded in finding it.
Attempt not impossibilities.
O foolish creatures that we are! For the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves
He who slights his friends when they are not needed must not expect them to serve him when he needs them.
Where, O boaster, are now all thy gay trappings, thou who art thyself reduced to the condition you so lately treated with contempt?
If you wish to do a service, do it right.
Laziness often prepares a burden for its own back.
He who seeks to injure others often injures only himself.
Men of evil reputation, when they perform a good deed, fail to get credit for it.
If you will examine my foot, you will find what ails me.
Incentive spurs effort.
He who offers bribes needs watching, for his intentions are not honest.
Nothing can compensate us for the loss of our liberty.
The greedy man and the miser cannot enjoy their gains.
Pleasures are heightened by abstinence.
We should not permit our ambition to lead us beyond the limits of our power.
I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world.
Every one should keep his own colours.
I regard this ill language as coming not from you, but from the place on which you stand.
Two sureties are better than one.
Two sureties are better than one.
We had better bear our troubles bravely than try to escape them.
Promises of a suitor must be taken with caution.
Every man should be content to mind his own business.
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.
The desire for imaginary benefits often involves the loss of present blessings.
It is hard to forget injuries in the presence of him who caused the injury.
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny, and it is useless for the innocent to try by reasoning to get justice, when the oppressor intends to be unjust.
It is safer to be among friends than enemies.
I have brought it all on myself! Why could I not have been contented to labour with my companions, and not try to live by idleness?
Self-help is the best help.
Flattery is a dangerous weapon in the hands of an enemy.
People are not to be judged by their coats.
I assure you, you would have frightened me too, if I had not known you to be an Ass.
Those who strive are often watched by others who will take advantage of their defeat to benefit themselves.
A man who can strike from a distance is no pleasant neighbour.
Let every one stick to his own element.
Together, we stand. Divided, we fall
Keep to your place, if you would succeed.
Acquaintance softens prejudices.
But, in his carelessness, he flew directly into a spider's web, and the spider instantly seized and killed him.
Woe is me, that I, who can wage war successfully with the hugest beasts, should perish myself from this spider.
One story is good till another is told.
No one is too weak to do good.
In union is strength.
Might makes right.
One thief is no better than another.
It is not wise, to hold too exalted an opinion of ones self.
The woodman set upon him with his club.
Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
False confidence often leads into danger.
Traitors must expect treachery.
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all the profit.
False confidence often leads into danger.
Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
Traitors must expect treachery.
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all the profit.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
The value is in the worth, not in the number.
No disguise will hide ones true character.
Our insignificance is often the cause of our safety.
I should be a very simple fellow, if I were to forego my certain gain for an uncertain profit.
Unlawful acts to escape trials only increase our troubles.
Laziness often prepares a burden for its own back.
That which we are anxious to find, we are sometimes even more anxious to escape from, when we have succeeded in finding it.
If one would not be hurt by a Madman, he must put a bunch of thread over his ears.
If, therefore, the Eagle, the Vulture, and the Kite, should make a descent upon us, what means would you take for our defense?
He that submits his principles to the influence and caprices of opposite parties will end in having no principles at all.
One story is good till another is told.
A man who talks for both sides is not to be trusted by either.
He who proclaims himself ready to buy up his enemies will never want a supply of them.
We should not deprive others of blessings because we cannot enjoy them ourselves.
A fair face is of little use without sense.
He who stops to parley with temptation, will be very likely to yield.
Avoid even appearances of danger.
Let those who propose be willing to perform.
Count not your chickens before they are hatched.
By endeavouring to please every-body, he had succeeded in pleasing nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain.
By endeavouring to please every-body, he had succeeded in pleasing nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain.
Those who achieve notoriety often mistake it for fame.
Pray do not grieve so; bury a stone in the hole, and fancy it is the gold. It will serve you just as well, for when the gold was there you made no use of it.
A mother's love blinds her to many imperfections.
It is absurd to ape our betters.
A thief cannot be trusted, even by another thief.
He who once begins to tell falsehoods is obliged to tell others to make them appear true, and, sooner or later, they will get him into trouble.
O Monkey, and are you, with such a mind as yours, going to be king over the Beasts?
Example is more powerful than precept.
No arguments will give courage to the coward.
Nip evil in the bud.
Be not in haste to believe what is said in anger or thoughtlessness.
Don't make much ado about nothing.
Do not rely upon a boaster.
No one is too weak to do good.
Stop there, my friend, and fast till you are thin; for you will never come out till you reduce yourself to the same condition as when you entered.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
I must have made a mistake; my father, after all, could have been only an ass.
The conspicuous run the greatest risk.
Whatever you do, do with all your might.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Persuasion is better than Force.
Stoop to conquer.
No one should be blamed for his infirmities.
When the Ass saw that the huge beast could be assailed with impunity, he let drive at his forehead with his heels.
We do not always like to be taken at our word.
We should not think wholly of ourselves, and we should remember that life is uncertain.
The memory of a good deed lives.
Danger sometimes comes from a source that is least suspected.
Flattery is not a proof of admiration.
Impossible things we cannot hope to attain, and it is of no use to try.
The lives of the idle can best be spared.
Those who suffer most cry out the least.
Do not be in a hurry to change one evil for another.
Who acts in haste repents at leisure.
We had better bear our troubles bravely than try to escape them.
Those who would sacrifice their friends to save themselves from harm are not entitled to mercy.
Strangers should avoid those who quarrel among themselves.
Fine feathers don't make fine birds.
If, therefore, the Eagle, the Vulture, and the Kite, should make a descent upon us, what means would you take for our defense?
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.
At last, having long waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into the sea, made an excellent haul.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Some men despise their best blessings because they come without cost.
Those who do not know their right place must be taught it.
What is most truly valuable is often underrated.
Hospitality is a virtue, but should be wisely exercised; we may by thoughtlessness entertain foes instead of friends.
Count not your chickens before they are hatched.
You say you can foretell the fortunes of others; how is it you did not foresee your own?
A man is known by the company he keeps.
Those who pretend that they can mend others should first mend themselves, and then they will be more readily believed.
The strong are apt to settle all questions by the rule of might.
The strong are apt to settle all questions by the rule of might.
Because we are like the great in one respect we must not think we are like them in all.
Inconsiderate and ill-matched alliances generally end in ruin; and the man who compasses the destruction of his neighbour, is often caught in his own snare.
Change of habit cannot alter nature.
Stoop to conquer.
He who slights his friends when they are not needed must not expect them to serve him when he needs them.
Men often fall into the trap which they prepare for others.
When a coward is once found out, his pretensions of valor are useless.
The conspicuous run the greatest risk.
A man who talks for both sides is not to be trusted by either.
Have a care, my good fellow, of that smooth surface, it is only looking out for your Dates.
Every man should be content to mind his own business.
Our mere anticipations of life outrun its realities.
Ry greatest enemy is he who gives me most to carry.
What seem to be blessings are not always so.
In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance.
It is not wise to be too greedy.
The basest ingratitude is that which injures those who serve us.
Economy may be carried too far.
Hypocritical speeches are easily seen through.
Change not friends for foes.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
He who will steal a part will steal the whole.
Two blacks do not make one white.
Two blacks do not make one white.
Have a care, my good fellow, of that smooth surface, it is only looking out for your Dates.
The basest ingratitude is that which injures those who serve us.
An evil mind will show in evil action, sooner or later.
The vices we teach may be practiced against us.
Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice themselves.
There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.
We must make friends in prosperity, if we would have their help in adversity.
Evil companions bring more hurt than profit.
Kindness to the ungrateful and the vicious is thrown away.
It is hard to forget injuries in the presence of him who caused the injury.
Hospitality is a virtue, but should be wisely exercised; we may by thoughtlessness entertain foes instead of friends.
By endeavouring to please every-body, he had succeeded in pleasing nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain.
By endeavouring to please every-body, he had succeeded in pleasing nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain.
Disunited families are easily injured by others.
We would rather perish in the contest, than be reconciled by you.
The greatest braggarts are the greatest cowards.
He who seeks to injure others often injures only himself.
What is most truly valuable is often underrated.
What is safety for one is not always safety for another.
Two blacks do not make one white.
Two blacks do not make one white.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Those who practice cunning must expect to suffer by it.
Persuasion is better than Force.
It has ever been deemed that persuasion is better than force.
Those who enter by the back stairs must not complain if they are thrown out by the window.
Fine weather friends are not worth much.
If we nourish evil, it will sooner or later turn upon us.
Such a silly son as I have in this same Thrush.
Sweet words may deliver us from peril, when harsh words would fail.
Change of habit cannot alter nature.
The desire for imaginary benefits often involves the loss of present blessings.
Nip evil in the bud.
He who offers bribes needs watching, for his intentions are not honest.
Zeal should not outrun discretion.
In union is strength.
Every man for his trade.
We should not think wholly of ourselves, and we should remember that life is uncertain.
Such a silly son as I have in this same Thrush.
There is always some vulnerable point in the strongest armour.
If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.
Perseverance is surer than swiftness.
Those who are not able to roam should stay at home.
Better a little in safety, than an abundance surrounded by danger.
Distance exaggerates dangers.
Some men despise their best blessings because they come without cost.
Cure a boaster by putting his words to the test.
In yielding the rights of others, we may endanger our own.
He who incites strife is as guilty as they who strive.
By too much attention to danger, we may fall victims to it.
If your sister wishes for rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my wishes?
Those who are not able to roam should stay at home.
Do nothing without a regard to the consequences.
They locked horns and fought for the right of way, until they both fell into the torrent below and were drowned.
Equals make the best friends.
When a coward is once found out, his pretensions of valor are useless.
Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
He that submits his principles to the influence and caprices of opposite parties will end in having no principles at all.
Hope not to succeed in borrowed plumes.
Retribution is certain.
The covetous are poor givers.
Professions are best tested by deeds.
Professions are best tested by deeds.
Stop there, my friend, and fast till you are thin; for you will never come out till you reduce yourself to the same condition as when you entered.
The strong are apt to settle all questions by the rule of might.
The strong are apt to settle all questions by the rule of might.
The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat; and thus a second time escaped.
Evil tendencies are shown early in life.
Unlawful acts to escape trials only increase our troubles.
Economy may be carried too far.
Might makes right.
It is too late to whet the sword when the trumpet sounds to draw it.
Those who stir up enmities are not to be trusted.
Those who stir up enmities are not to be trusted.
It has ever been deemed that persuasion is better than force.
The memory of a good deed lives.
If one would not be hurt by a Madman, he must put a bunch of thread over his ears.
Every one to his trade.
In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains.
Invitations prompted by selfishness are not to be accepted.
Men of evil reputation, when they perform a good deed, fail to get credit for it.
If you will examine my foot, you will find what ails me.
Nothing can compensate us for the loss of our liberty.
The greedy man and the miser cannot enjoy their gains.
Every one should keep his own colours.
I regard this ill language as coming not from you, but from the place on which you stand.
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny, and it is useless for the innocent to try by reasoning to get justice, when the oppressor intends to be unjust.
It is safer to be among friends than enemies.
One thief is no better than another.
It is not wise, to hold too exalted an opinion of ones self.
Be not in haste to believe what is said in anger or thoughtlessness.
Hypocritical speeches are easily seen through.
An evil mind will show in evil action, sooner or later.
The vices we teach may be practiced against us.
Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice themselves.
There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.
Those who attempt to act in disguise are apt to overdo it.
Two sureties are better than one.
Two sureties are better than one.
Two blacks do not make one white.
Two blacks do not make one white.
Change not friends for foes.
Covetousness overreacheth itself.
Indeed, I should have thanked you most fervently, if your deeds had been as good as your words.
Self-help is the best help.
* Some of the above may not have been written by Aesop
Aesop may have been Ethiopian. The Greek word Aethiop means 'Ethiopia'
The asp and the rasp. See The Viper and the File
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