Aesop's fables

Aesop's fables surely win if you would measure stories based on a life lessons per word ratio. It's often without notice how many times these compressed pearls of wisdom have saved our day.

Aesop's fable

The Honest Woodcutter

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Honesty pays off.A woodcutter was cutting a tree when his ax slipped and fell to the bottom of the mountain stream. Luckily for him, Mercury, the god of water, saw how miserable the woodcutter was and decided to help. But not before he had tested him.

Aesop

The Mice and the Weasels

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A true leader is an example for their acts, and not just words. The mice have been losing fights with the weasels for a while, so they decide to appoint some leaders to prepare them for the next fight. But the leaders feel overly superior, so they quickly separate from the team.

Aesop

The Stag and His Reflection

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What’s the most beautiful is not always the most useful. The majestic stag can’t help looking at his antlers on the flat watery surface of the forest lake and admiring their beauty. At the same time though, having noticed his long and thin legs, he doesn’t like them at all. However, he doesn’t know yet that a hungry lion is watching him. To learn what happens next, read the fable.

Aesop

The Reckless Man and the Swallow

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One swallow doesn’t make a summer. A man has wasted his inheritance and is left only with one giant winter coat. But he sells this, too, for a few coins, when it gets warmer and he spots a lone swallow - which he mistakenly believes is a sign of the coming spring.

Aesop

The Oak and the Fern

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Sometimes it’s better to back off than to resist at all costs. A strong and beautiful oak couldn’t imagine anything that could beat it. This was what it liked to boast about to all the other trees and grasses. But when a storm comes, it learns that sometimes it’s better and wiser to retreat.

Aesop

The Swan and the Crow

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If we want to be happy, it is important to accept who we are. The crow greatly admires the majestic swans swimming on the lake. One day she decides that she too would like to become a beautiful swan. But she almost loses her life by trying to imitate the swans.

Aesop

The North Wind and the Sun

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This version of Aesop's fable teaches that peace and a smile can help you achieve more than anger and strength. The North wind and the sun couldn’t figure out who was stronger. In the end, they decide that the first one to take the coat off the traveller who was walking along the way would win.

Aesop

The Moon and his Mother

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The ones who truly love us don’t care what we look like. Once upon a time, the moon thought to herself that after all these years of staring up at her pale form, people simply must be bored with her looks. So she decided to spruce herself up a bit. She even asked her mother to tailor her a beautiful dress. To find out what happened next, read the rest of this retelling of Aesop’s famous fable.

Aesop

The Horse and His Rider

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If we want something to serve us long and well, we have to take good care of it. The old soldier knew very well that he had survived all the pitfalls of the war only thanks to the bravery and strength of his horse. So he took good care of it. The horse was always prepared for battles. When the war ended, however, he stopped paying so much attention to the horse - which does him no good in the end.

Aesop

Of Eagles and Bugs

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Our wits can help us defeat much stronger opponents and overcome difficult obstacles. When the eagle catches the hare in its claws, the little beetle orders him to release the poor animal immediately. But the eagle just laughs, and certainly does not plan to give up its prey because of a little beetle. The beetle finally forces the eagle to release the hare.

Aesop

The Bees and the Beekeeper

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Some things are not what they look like. When a thief breaks into the hives where the bees live, the beekeeper immediately starts to repair them. But just as the bees return from their meadows they see the beekeeper standing among the ruins of their houses. At first glance, it seems to them that they have caught the culprit of this devastation in the act!

Aesop

Hercules and the Potter

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Before asking for help, make sure you have done all you could. One day, a potter’s wagon got stuck on the muddy road. Even though he kept whipping the horse, the wagon didn't even move from the mud. The potter lamented his bad fortune, and called to the mighty Hercules to come to help. But who eventually does help him?