Aesop's Fables; a new translation quotes

"I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour."

— Spoken by a character · THE FOX AND THE GRAPES

A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun, each claiming that he was stronger than the other. At last they agreed to try their powers upon a traveller, to see which could soonest strip him of his cloak.

Meanwhile the Tortoise kept plodding on, and in time reached the goal. At last the Hare woke up with a start, and dashed on at his fastest, but only to find that the Tortoise had already won the race.

This is the immortal justification of the Fable: that we could not teach the plainest truths so simply without turning men into chessmen. We cannot talk of such simple things without using animals that do not talk at all.

Slow and steady wins the race.

The North Wind had the first try; and, gathering up all his force for the attack, he came whirling furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though he would wrest it from him by one single effort: but the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself.

"If you spent the summer singing," replied the Ants, "you can't do better than spend the winter dancing." And they chuckled and went on with their work.

— the Ants · THE MAN AND THE LION

"You have a voice, madam, I see: what you want is wits."

— Spoken by a character · THE FOX AND THE CROW

Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.

"he can't eat himself and yet he won't let those eat who can."

— Spoken by a character · THE DOG IN THE MANGER

A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse were acquaintances, and the Country Mouse one day invited his friend to come and see him at his home in the fields. The Town Mouse came, and they sat down to a dinner of barleycorns and roots, the latter of which had a distinctly earthy flavour.

"I had no idea I was so big. Fancy my being afraid of a lion! Why, I, not he, ought to be King of the beasts"; and, heedless of danger, he strutted about as if there could be no doubt at all about it.

— Spoken by a character · THE MAN AND THE LION

All men are more concerned to recover what they lose than to acquire what they lack.

"Don't take it so much to heart, my friend; put a brick into the hole, and take a look at it every day: you won't be any worse off than before, for even when you had your gold it was of no earthly use to you."

— Spoken by a character · THE MAN AND THE LION