The wise and the foolish

3,525 motifs · page 2 of 18

• Wisdom from philosopher: give separate greetings to infants, youths, and old people. J152.5
• Wisdom from philosopher: worldly honor like shadow. If one goes toward it, it flees; if one turns his back on it, it follows and at times catches up with one. J152.6
• Wisdom from holy man. J153
• Holy man's prayer reforms rich man. Holy man prays, "May God bless everything here that is good but cause to disappear all that is bad." Everything disappears. J153.1
• Hermit explains why anger is sin. J153.2
• Wise words of dying father. Counsel proved wise by experience. J154
• Wise words of father. J154.0.1
• Dying saint leaves wise message to followers. Message is cryptic, but is finally made clear. J154.1
• Wisdom (knowledge) from women. J155
• Hero directed on journey by princess. J155.1
• Serpent directed on journey by his beautiful wife. J155.1.1
• King has amours with great men's wives so as to learn secrets from them. J155.2
• Caesar's scorn of his wife's advice leads to disaster. J155.3
• Wife as adviser. (Cf. J21.37.) J155.4
• Wife of usurer saves husband through her prayers. J155.5
• Wise words of dying woman (queen). (Cf. J154.) J155.6
• Knowledge from mysterious women met in the forest. J155.7
• Wisdom from harlot to a king. J155.8
• Wisdom from fools. J156
• Wisdom from fool: make peace before rather than after the war. J156.1
• Wisdom from fool: absurdity of tight-rope walker's performance. J156.2
• Wisdom from fool: the present returned. Nobleman gives fool a present; he is to give it to no one who is not a greater fool. Master is dying; doctor tells fool that master is going to take long journey. Since master is making no preparation, fool gives him the present. Master thus brought to repentance. J156.3
• Wisdom from fool: heaven refused. Fool says he does not want to go to heaven for he wants to stay with his master, who everyone says is going to hell. Master repents. J156.4
• Wisdom (knowledge) from dream. J157
• Deity appears in dream and gives instructions or advice. J157.0.1
• Wisdom from dream: the leper with the cup of water. Man in dream willing to receive sacrament from unworthy priest. J157.1
• Fate of parents revealed in dream. Mother shown in Hell; father in Heaven. J157.2
• Dream advises against the popularizing of science. J157.3
• Wisdom from angel. J158
• Solomon pays heed to angel's warning. Rules wisely. J158.1
• Trial rehearsed before stick in the ground as judge. J161
• Wisdom acquired by hanging in a tree. J162
• Wisdom purchased. J163
• Man buys a pennyworth of wit. J163.1
• Man to bring wife a purseful of sense. J163.2
• Fool is told to get a pottle of brains. He tries to buy them. He finally learns that advice was to marry a clever girl. J163.2.1
• One eye exchanged for wisdom. (Odin.) J163.3
• Good counsels bought. J163.4
• Wisdom from God. J164
• Tree of knowledge. J165
• Wisdom from books. J166
• Wisdom from books bought at great price. (Sibylline). Nine books first offered at certain price. Finally after this is refused and the owner throws six of them into the fire, the king pays the same price for three of them. Finds them filled with wisdom. J166.1
• Wisdom from books of the antediluvians. J166.2
• Wisdom from continual reminder of foolishness in the past. Unjust judge skinned and his skin stretched over a footstool kept in the presence of judges, so as to remind them to be just. J167
• Inscription on walls for condensed education. J168
• Proverbial wisdom: counsels. (Cf. B82.6.) J171
• Counsel: if you take it you will be sorry; if you don't you will also be sorry. This advice given hero by helpful horse. J171.1
• King questions six doctors. J171.2
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That man has not what he wishes to have. J171.2.1
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That all joys are mixed with sorrow. J171.2.2
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That all evil and hypocrisy will have an end. J171.2.3
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That those who are most respected are the biggest fools. J171.2.4
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That those who speak of spiritual matters are usually the most depraved. J171.2.5
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That man lives in a state in which he cannot die. J171.2.6
• Other maxims. J171.3
• Crow flying away says, "A wise man remains not in the place of calamity; but a fool stays there, and sups fear and sorrow." J171.3.1
• Proverbial wisdom: "Seek to win over the accuser, so that he causes you no annoyance." J171.3.2
• Account of punishments prepared in hell brings about repentance. J172
• Wisdom taught by suicidal example. Man is ordered by Senate to make tyrant stop bloodshed. He kills himself and family to satiate tyrant of blood. J173
• Good and bad in all books. Author says that a prudent man notes only the good in a vain book; a malicious person, only the bad in a good book. J174
• Wisdom from young man. J175
• Wisdom from evil spirits. J176
• Wisdom from brother-in-law. J177
• Wisdom from robbers (thugs) who disguise selves and show cruel princess how she should treat her husband. J178
• Other means of acquiring wisdom (knowledge) – miscellaneous. J179
• Humble Brahmin teaches king the difference between "mine" and "thine." J179.1
• Wisdom learned in underground kingdom: the passions of a human being could not be satisfied on earth. J179.2
• Wisdom from neighbors. J179.3
• Wisdom from fasting. J179.4
• Possession of wisdom. J180
• The years not counted. Man says that he is the youngest present, for he does not count the years before he became monk (or the like). J181
• Varieties of wisdom. J182
• "Forty-nine gates of wisdom" open to Moses (and Solomon). J182.1
• Seventy-two kinds of wisdom. J182.2
• Wisdom wins contest of wisdom and wealth. J185
• Minister's clever daughter-in-law uses wisdom to defeat Brahmin's wealth. J185.1
• Wisdom lost by accepting bribes and gifts. J186
• Acquisition and possession of wisdom – miscellaneous. J190
• Wise men. J191
• Solomon as wise man. J191.1
• Other biblical heroes as wise men. J191.2
• Wise nations. J192
• Wisdom from "Children of the East." J192.1
• Wisdom from Egypt. J192.2
• Wisdom from the Greeks. J192.3
• Wisdom from the Hebrews. J192.4
• Choices. J200
• Hobson's choice: choose what is put before you or nothing. J201
• Choice between eggs: one egg or none. J201.1
• Choice between evils. J210
• Four choices, all of which are evil; man to make one choice only. J210.1
• Choice: free poverty or enslaved wealth. J211
• Philosopher chooses poverty with freedom. J211.1
• Man gives all his wealth away, for it is better to die than to give up virtue. J211.1.1
• Town mouse and country mouse. Latter prefers poverty with safety. J211.2
• Fly jeers at king's elephant for his lack of freedom. J211.2.1
• Choice: plainness with safety or grandeur with danger. J212
• Ass envies horse in fine trappings. Horse killed in battle; ass content. J212.1
• Choice: loss of beauty or speech. Latter chosen. J213
• Choice: suffering in youth or old age. J214
• Present evil preferred to change for worse. J215
• Don't drive away the flies. Wounded animal (man) refuses to have the flies driven away since they are now sated and their places will be taken by fierce and hungry flies. J215.1
• Don't set a hungry guard over food. Parrot set to guard figs eats his fill. When replaced he calls attention to the fact that he is now full and therefore safer than another hungry parrot. J215.1.1
• King refuses to exile gossipers. They would defame him among strangers. At home they serve to test the king's patience and to reform his life. J215.1.2
• Do not pluck off the well-fed leeches. Wolf told not to do so lest hungrier ones take their places as he swims. J215.1.3
• Old man chooses to be annoyed by occasional and loud chirp of swallows than by never-ending but soft chirp of sandpipers. J215.1.4
• Oxen decide not to kill butchers, since inexpert killers might replace them. J215.2
• Old woman prays for safety of cruel tyrant for fear a worse one will succeed him. J215.2.1
• Heathcock prefers home with hardships to travel in foreign lands. J215.3
• Monk goes to wilderness to escape work on material things. Finds that he must work to live and returns to monastery. J215.4
• Choice of deaths. J216
• Army faces enemy rather than the anger of their king who would kill them if they returned in flight. J216.1
• Lamb prefers to be sacrificed in temple rather than to be eaten by a wolf. J216.2
• Crab would rather be killed outright than imprisoned and starved. J216.3
• Soldier asks to be stabbed in chest. Prostrate soldier asks enemy to stab him in chest instead of back in order to save his honor. Captor frees him and the two become friends. J216.4
• Early death with fame preferred. J216.5
• Saint chooses to die "after pride of youth" and before "misery of old age." J216.6
• Captivity preferred to death. J217
• Unsatisfactory life preferred to death. J217.0.1
• Trickster overhears man praying for death to take him; the trickster appears at man's house, usually in disguise, says he is God (or the devil). The man tells him to take his wife (or he runs away). (Compare C11 for a similar situation in which Death appears.) J217.0.1.1
• Escaped lamb delivers himself to shepherd rather than to slaughter. J217.1
• Discontented ass longs for death but changes mind when he sees skins of dead asses at a fair. J217.2
• Enemies make peace rather than slay each other. J218
• Lion and wild boar make peace rather than slay each other for benefit of vulture. J218.1
• Choice: small injustice permitted rather than to cause troubles of state. J221
• King overlooks wife's unfaithfulness rather than to cause troubles of state. J221.1
• Senator overlooks wife's adultery rather than impair his reputation. J221.1.1
• Man rebukes servants for telling him of his wife's unfaithfulness. J221.1.2
• King chooses small inconvenience of personal troubles to great troubles for his kingdom. He suffers to help realm. J221.2
• Man would rather pay 500 florins he did not owe than have it said he did not pay debts. J221.3
• Rescue alone from shipwreck chosen over drowning with goods. J222
• Choice between evils: pay tribute or lose both money and life. J223
• Choice: apparent injustice over greater wrong. J225
• Angel and hermit. Angel takes hermit with him and does many seemingly unjust things. Later shows why each of these was just. J225.0.1
• Angel explains to hermit why God lets a sinner die in peace and have big funeral while holy hermit is slain by a wild beast. J225.0.1.1
• God punishes many men because of one sinner, like a man who kills hive of bees for stinging of one. J225.0.2
• Angel in form of young man shows skeptical hermit that ways of providence are inscrutable. J225.0.3
• Youth made lame: had kicked his mother. J225.1
• Lion sent to kill a man: frees him from possibility of sinning and sojourn in purgatory. J225.2
• Angel takes cup from old man. Done lest he love the cup too much. J225.3
• Angel (Jesus) kills man. Done because man is plotting a murder. J225.4
• Angel kills man because he loves his child too much. J225.5
• Saint gives liberally to gambler, little to beggar. Gambler is generous, beggar hoards. J225.6
• Forestman who longs to do evil is sent to hell: writer, who repents, is sent to heaven. God justifies this to his sage. J225.7
• Evil mother has fine funeral, good father poor. J225.8
• Difficult choice between relatives. J226
• Choice of freeing one son: adopted son or long-missing son. J226.1
• Choice: blind son with long life or healthy son with short. Latter chosen. J226.2
• Choice: foolish son always with him or four wise daughters who will leave him. Latter chosen. J226.3
• Death preferred to other evils. J227
• Death preferred to captivity. J227.1
• Death preferred to dishonor. J227.2
• Choice between evils – miscellaneous. J229
• Choice: staying at home with loving wife or going to tavern and having unfaithful wife. Man chooses latter. J229.1
• Sheep and ignorant shearer. Had rather die than suffer longer from him. J229.2
• Choice: a big piece of cake with my curse or a small piece with my blessing. J229.3
• Better send an ugly woman to the devil than a pretty one. Man chooses ugly mistress. J229.4
• Choice between bad master, bad official, or bad neighbor. Bad master can do evil if he desires to do so; bad official can harm a poor person and complain against him to his master; bad neighbor can betray secret things about his neighbors. Bad neighbor worst. J229.5
• Bad choice between poor and miserly man. Neither makes good leader. J229.6
• Rower prefers to be stoned by his master rather than remain out in the storm. J229.7
• Contentment with evil master for fear of worse successor. J229.8
• Weaver prefers master with one hedgehog. Insists on his master putting hedgehog out of house. When master refuses, weaver leaves. Next master has two hedgehogs, and next has three. Weaver returns to first master. J229.8.1
• Man retains questionable bride for fear of getting one who is worse. J229.9
• The smaller the evil the better. Therefore choose the smallest woman possible for a bride. J229.10
• Take money instead of revenge. Fool advises uncle, in letter which he did not send, to take money from wife's paramour instead of revenge. J229.11
• Prisoners given choice between emasculation and blinding. J229.12
• God's punishment: the sinner may have twelve years of famine or twelve hours of heavy rainfall. J229.13
• Physical pain preferred to poverty. J229.14
• Choice: real and apparent values. J230
• Wisdom chosen above all else. J231
• Solomon, permitted by God to make any request, asks wisdom. Granted wisdom and wealth. J231.1
• Choice between love and wisdom. J231.2
• Health chosen as the most precious thing. J232
• Choice between desire and duty. J233
• Choice between useful and ornamental. J240
• Fruitful tree chosen. J241
• Athena chooses olive tree because of fruitfulness. J241.1
• Peasant leaves honey tree standing. Sparrows and crickets ask peasant to leave tree standing. He refuses, but when he finds honey in the tree he consents. J241.2
• Useful wins contest over beautiful. J242
• Contest between rose and amaranth: worth lies not in beauty. J242.1
• Pine and thornbush dispute as to their usefulness. Beauty of form does not give worth; pine grows slowly but it will withstand storms. J242.2
• Fox and panther contest in beauty. Fox's spirit worth more than panther's skin. J242.3
• Peacock proved to be bad king. Chosen because of beauty; too weak to defend his flock. J242.4
• Peacock and crane in beauty contest. Better be able to soar like crane than to strut about like peacock. J242.5
• Contest in beauty between swallows and crows (ants and flies): worth lies not in beauty. J242.6
• Choice of a learned crow: a dead cat better than a golden crown. J242.7
• In dividing property clever younger brother takes hind part of buffalo, upper part of tree, and use of curtain during night. J242.8
• Usefulness better than speed. J243
• Dog and hog dispute over their children: worth lies not in speed. J243.1
• Goodness preferred to beauty. J244
• Father with handsome son and hideous daughter. Advises both to look in mirror daily lest son exchange handsome face for bad character; daughter to triumph over face by good manners. J244.1
• Useful and ugly preferred to expensive and beautiful. J245
• Millstone preferred to jewels. Man shown jewels that cost much money; he replies that he has better stones (millstones) that earn that much. J245.1
• King who experiences the cultural civilization of an empire in dream would rather be poor and primitive. J245.2
• Strength preferred to cleverness. J246
• Man criticizes the devil because his deeds are not fair. Devil says that they are strong nevertheless. Hence strong speakers rather than clever are to be preferred. J246.1
• Hero, despising weapons, fights with fists alone. J246.2
• Goodness preferred to wealth. J247
• Man advised to choose good poor man for his daughter's husband rather than rich man. J247.1
• Practical knowledge more vital than theoretical. J251