Aesop

“No act of kindness is ever wasted.”

“A man is known by the company he keeps”

“Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hidden.”

“Persuasion is often more effectual than force.”

“There are many statues of men slaying lions, but if only the lions were sculptors there might be quite a different set of statues.”

“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.”

“The gods help them that help themselves.”

“THE FOX AND THE GRAPESA hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, "I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour.”

“THE MISCHIEVOUS DOGThere was once a Dog who used to snap at people and bite them without any provocation, and who was a great nuisance to every one who came to his master's house. So his master fastened a bell round his neck to warn people of his presence. The Dog was very proud of the bell, and strutted about tinkling it with immense satisfaction. But an old dog came up to him and said, "The fewer airs you give yourself the better, my friend. You don't think, do you, that your bell was given you as a reward of merit? On the contrary, it is a badge of disgrace."Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.”

“THE FOX AND THE CROWA Crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a Fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese. Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, "What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite. If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be Queen of the Birds." The Crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the Fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the Fox, snatching it up, said, "You have a voice, madam, I see: what you want is wits.”

“Every man carries two bags about him, one in front and one behind, and both are full of faults. The bag in front contains his neighbors' faults, the one behind his own. Hence it is that men do not see their own faults, but never fail to see those of others.”

“Once a wolf, always a wolf.”

“It is thrifty to prepare today for wants of tomorrow.”

“In critical moments even the very powerful have need of the weakest.”

“Don't let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth - don't let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.”

“The north wind and the sun were disputing which was the stronger, and agreed to acknowledge as the victor whichever of them could strip a traveler of his clothing. The wind tried first. But its violent gusts only made the man hold his clothes tightly around him, and when it blew harder still the cold made him so uncomfortable that he put on an extra wrap. Eventually the wind got tired of it and handed him over to the sun. The sun shone first with moderate warmth, which made the man take off his topcoat. Then it blazed fiercely, till, unable to stand the heat, he stripped and went off to a bathe in a nearby river. Persuasion is more effective than force. ”

“Sometimes the slow ones blame the active for the delay.”

“An Ass put on a Lion's skin and wentAbout the foreset with much merriment,Scaring the foolish beasts by brooks and rocks,Till at last he tried to scare the Fox. But Reynard, hearing from beneath the mane That Raucous voice so petulant and vain,Remarked. O' Ass, I too would run away,But that I know your old familiar bray'.That's just the way with asses, just the way.”

“He that always gives way to others will end in having no principles of his own. ”

“A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him.”

“The injury we do and the one we suffer are not weighed in the same scales.”

“Expect no reward when you serve the wicked, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pain”

“No argument, no matter how convincing, will give courage to a coward”

“Those who cry the loudest are not always the ones who are hurt the most”

“Keep your place in life and your place will keep you”

“Uninvited guests are often most welcome when they leave”

“Adversity tests the sincerity of friends”

“Whoever neglects old friends for the sake of new deserves what e gets if he loses both”

“The more you want, the more you stand to lose”

“Those who enter through the back door can expect to be shown out through the window”

“Self-help is the best help”

“It is one thing to conceive a good plan, and another to execute it”

“Facts speak plainer than words”

“Wise men say nothing in dangerous times”

“Try as one may, it is impossible to deny one's nature”

“Do not count your chickens before they are hatched”

“We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction”

“Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a fool”

“It is easy to despise what you cannot get”

“Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten”

“Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.”

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

“Betray a friend, and you'll often find you have ruined yourself.”

“Thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find - nothing.”

“No one believes a liar even when he tells the truth”

“Be content with your lot; once cannot be first in everything.”

“It is with our passions, as it is with fire and water, they are good servants but bad masters.”

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.”

“...convinced that in trying to please all, he had pleased none, and had lost his ass into the bargain.”

“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.”