Books and other Resources about Aesop

>Aesop is known for the genre of fables ascribed to him.  He was born a slave  and was a contemporary of Croesus and Solon in the mid-sixth century BC in ancient Greece. Various collections under the rubric Aesop’s Fables are currently available. In many of these stories animals speak and have human characteristics; see for example the Tortoise and the Hare or the Ant and the Grasshopper.  While the fables are often cast as stories for children, for the early Greeks the fable “was a technique of criticism and persuasion, which by its indirectness might avoid giving offense, while at the same time making a powerful impression by its artistry.”

Quotes attributed to Aesop:

After all is said and done, more is said than done.

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

A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.

Any excuse will serve a tyrant.

Appearances are often deceiving.

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

Beware that you do not lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either.

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.

He that is discontented in one place will seldom be happy in another.

If you allow men to use you for your own purposes, they will use you for theirs.

Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten.

It is easy to be brave from a safe distance.

It is in vain to expect our prayers to be heard, if we do not strive as well as pray.

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.

It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Our insignificance is often the cause of our safety.

Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.

People often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves.

Persuasion is often more effectual than force.

Please all, and you will please none.

Put your shoulder to the wheel.

Self-conceit may lead to self destruction.

Slow but steady wins the race.

The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.

The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.

The unhappy derive comfort from the misfortunes of others.

United we stand, divided we fall.

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

We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.

We should look to the mind, and not to the outward appearance.

We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.