Aesop

The Dog in the Manger
A dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented the read more

The Dog in the Manger
A dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented the oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for them. What a selfish Dog! said one of them to his companions; he cannot eat the hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat who can.

A farmer who had a quarrelsome family called his sons and told them to lay a bunch of sticks before read more

A farmer who had a quarrelsome family called his sons and told them to lay a bunch of sticks before him. Then, after laying the sticks parallel to one another and binding them, he challenged his sons, one after one, to pick up the bundle and break it. They all tried, but in vain. Then, untying the bundle, he gave them the sticks to break one by one. This they did with the greatest ease. Then said the father, Thus, my sons, as long as you remain united, you are a match for anything, but differ and separate, and you are undone.

Union gives strength. (The Bundle of Sticks 550 BC).

Union gives strength. (The Bundle of Sticks 550 BC).

The Vain Jackdaw
Jupiter determined, it is said, to create a sovereign over the birds, and made proclamation that on read more

The Vain Jackdaw
Jupiter determined, it is said, to create a sovereign over the birds, and made proclamation that on a certain day they should all present themselves before him, when he would himself choose the most beautiful among them to be king. The Jackdaw, knowing his own ugliness, searched through the woods and fields, and collected the feathers which had fallen from the wings of his companions, and stuck them in all parts of his body, hoping thereby to make himself the most beautiful of all. When the appointed day arrived, and the birds had assembled before Jupiter, the Jackdaw also made his appearance in his many feathered finery. But when Jupiter proposed to make him king because of the beauty of his plumage, the birds indignantly protested, and each plucked from him his own feathers, leaving the Jackdaw nothing but a Jackdaw.

Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.

Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.