6th century BC (traditional)
Aesop
The legendary fable-teller, said to have been a slave on Samos. The Greek fables collected under his name end with short morals on effort, friendship and human nature.
Every line we carry
Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.
- Hard work often beats lazy talent.
The moral of the tortoise and the hare in the Greek collection: hard work has often beaten a nature that neglects itself. Talent that naps loses to effort that keeps moving. Be the tortoise until you can be both.
Fables (Halm) 420, The Tortoise and the Hare, our translation from the Greek
- Persuasion often gets further than force.
The North Wind blows hard to strip a traveler's cloak and fails; the Sun simply warms him until he takes it off. The moral: persuading often works better than forcing. Warmth moves people that pressure cannot.
Fables (Halm) 82, The North Wind and the Sun, our translation from the Greek
- Grab the wheel, drive the oxen, then pray.
A driver whose cart is stuck prays to Heracles without moving. The god tells him to put his hand to the wheels and goad his oxen, and pray when he is doing something himself, or his prayers are in vain. Faith and effort go together.
Fables (Halm) 81, The Ox-Driver and Heracles, our translation from the Greek
- They're sour anyway.
The fox cannot reach the grapes and walks off saying they are unripe. Some people, the moral says, blame the circumstances when the real problem is their own weakness. Notice when you call something sour because you could not reach it.
Fables (Halm) 33, The Fox and the Grapes, our translation from the Greek
- A small gain in hand beats a big one hoped for.
A little fish begs to be released to grow bigger first; the fisherman says he would be a fool to let go of a sure thing for an uncertain hope. Bank the win in front of you.
Fables (Halm) 28, The Fisherman and the Little Fish, our translation from the Greek
- Hard times test true friends.
Two friends meet a bear; one climbs a tree and leaves the other to play dead. The bear, says the survivor, advised him not to travel with friends who desert you in danger. Misfortune shows who is real.
Fables (Halm) 311, The Travelers and the Bear, our translation from the Greek
- When fortune turns, even the mighty need the weak.
The lion spares a mouse, and later the mouse gnaws through the net that traps the lion. When fortunes change, the powerful come to need the weak. Treat everyone well on the way up.
Fables (Halm) 256, The Lion and the Mouse, our translation from the Greek
- Familiarity tames even frightening things.
A fox who had never seen a lion nearly dies of fright the first time, is less afraid the second, and walks up to chat the third. Exposure shrinks fear. Do the scary thing again and again until it is just a thing.
Fables (Halm) 39, The Fox and the Lion, our translation from the Greek
- Giving advice is easy. Doing it is harder.
A mother deer lectures her fawn about not running from dogs, then bolts the moment she hears them. Advising is ready to hand; doing is harder. Hold yourself to your own speeches.
Fables (Halm) 130, The Stag and Its Mother, our translation from the Greek
- Go on and win. It's a bad win.
A stubborn donkey insists on going over a cliff edge; its driver lets go of the tail and says, win then, you are winning a bad victory. The moral is for people who love to argue. Some fights you win by losing everything else.
Fables (Halm) 335, The Donkey and the Driver, our translation from the Greek
- Better ruled safely than ruling dangerously.
A fox who worked for a lion grew jealous and went hunting on its own, and was the first to be caught. Better to be led in safety than to lead at great risk. Know what you are actually equipped for.
Fables (Halm) 41, The Fox and the Lion, our translation from the Greek
- The reed that bends beats the tree that fights the storm.
The olive tree mocked the reed for bending in every wind; a storm came and broke the olive while the reed survived. Those who give way to the moment and to stronger forces outlast those who fight what is bigger. Duck the wave you cannot ride.
Fables (Halm) 179b, The Reed and the Olive Tree, our translation from the Greek
- Fleeing small dangers, some run into bigger ones.
A stag running from hunters hides in a cave and is killed by the lion inside. Out of fear of smaller dangers, some throw themselves into greater ones. Fear makes poor plans.
Fables (Halm) 129, The Stag and the Lion, our translation from the Greek