The wise and the foolish

3,525 motifs · page 3 of 18

• The bookman and the boatman: each ignorant of other's work. Bookman's swimming saves their lives. J251.1
• Learned person worth two unlearned. Latter wastes time, former not. J252
• Choice between worth and appearance. J260
• Loudest mourners not greatest sorrowers. J261
• Noisy things often empty. J262
• Fox and noisy but empty drum. J262.1
• Little coin in empty bottle noisy. J262.2
• Among many vain words may be found some of wisdom. J263
• Apparent beauty may be of the least importance. Ruler admires jewels's beauty but neglects to inquire about their marvelous virtues. J264
• Choice between short and dangerous or long and sure way. (Cf. J21.5.3.) J266
• Choice between flattering lies and unflattering truths. J267
• Raven drowns his young who promise to aid him when he becomes old. He saves one who admits he will not help, because he will have to carry his own young. J267.1
• Quality preferred to quantity. J280
• Quality of offspring preferred to quantity. J281
• "Only one, but a lion". Lioness thus answers fox (hog) who twits her that she has only one cub. J281.1
• The present preferred to the past. J310
• Heed not the past. J311
• Count only the waves before you. Fox sees man trying to count the waves. Advises him to count only those immediately before him and to pay no attention to those which have already passed. J311.1
• Do not ask: "Why were the former days better than the present ones?" J311.2
• Not what you were but what you are counts. J312
• Wasp twits butterfly with coming from ugly chrysalis: unimportant where you come from. J312.1
• Present values preferred to future. J320
• Present possessions preferred to future possibilities. J321
• A bird in the hand foolishly given away in hope of greater gain. J321.1
• Today's catch of fish traded for prospective larger catch tomorrow. J321.1.1
• Little fish in the net kept rather than wait for uncertainty of greater catch. J321.2
• Lion leaves sleeping hare to follow the shepherd. Loses both victims. J321.3
• Present possessions preferred to future. J321.4
• Don't injure yourself to insure your family's future. J322
• Man wagers he can run with his head off. Asked what it will profit him, he says that it will profit his family. J322.1
• Man to be reforged chooses present unhappiness. He is in heaven and God is to reforge him, but he chooses not to change. J323
• Children choose father they know rather than real father they do not yet know. Woman confesses that child is not by her husband. Child, however, chooses to keep the father he knows. (Cf. J391, J1279.1.) J325
• Man prefers servant girl who is present to her absent mistress. J326
• Soldier prefers to live rather than die and be avenged on enemy. J327
• Choices: little gain, big loss. J340
• Weight of bodily member chosen rather than its loss. (Cf. J351.) J341
• Fox prefers to bear weight of his tail rather than give part of it to ape. J341.1
• High wages bring expensive living. J342
• Barber leaves inexpensive village for high wages in city. Finds cost of living more than enough to take all his profit. J342.1
• In spite of master's advice disciple stays in country where everything has cheap price. Gets into trouble. J342.1.1
• Wise man refuses income of half a kingdom since expenses will outweigh gain. J342.2
• Man refuses cure which brings greater inconvenience. J343
• Drunkard refuses cure of fever if it is to take away his thirst. J343.1
• What one has is neglected in search for other things. J344
• The monkey and the lost lentil. Lets all others he has in his hand fall in order to search for it. J344.1
• Host wants to learn Hebrew even at risk of forgetting his own language. J344.2
• The valuable neglected for the interesting. J345
• Herdsman neglects his she-goats in favor of wild-goats. She-goats die; wild-goats run off. J345.1
• Man leaves farming for fishing. When water dries up he goes hungry. J345.2
• Better be content with what you have, than try to get more and lose everything. J346
• Wealth and glory sacrificed for freedom and virtue. J347
• Man refuses vast wealth because with it will come covetousness. J347.1
• King lays aside crown since it brings too many cares. J347.2
• Prince chooses exile and honor to foul life at his father's court. J347.3
• Rich merchant is poorer in happiness than poor man. J347.4
• Man refuses rich marriage with house filled with dangerous wild animals. J347.5
• Choices: small inconvenience, large gain. J350
• Bodily member(s) sacrificed to save life. (Cf. J341.) J351
• Beaver sacrifices scrotum to save life. Cuts it off and leaves it for pursuers. J351.1
• Inconvenience disregarded when booty is in sight. J352
• Wolf does not mind the dust. Told that dust from flock of sheep will annoy him; he finds it useful. J352.1
• Snake is willing to suffer the indignity of serving frog king as mount because frog king gives him frogs to eat. J352.2
• Slight inconvenience in weather, large gain. J355
• The widow's meal. King upbraids wind for blowing away a poor widow's last cup of meal. Finds that the wind has saved a ship full of people by that very act. The king is humbled. J355.1
• Less inconvenience in fighting though tired than in losing all for a little rest. J356
• Priest sells his donkey because worry for its safety distracts him from prayer. J357
• Small inconvenience, large gain – miscellaneous. J369
• Solomon refuses water of immortality for himself when he cannot have it for his possessions also. J369.1
• Ape throws away nut because of its bitter rind. J369.2
• Choices: important and unimportant work. J370
• No time for minor fights when life is in danger. J371
• Bull refuses to fight goat. Bull being pursued by lion tries to go into cave. Goat refuses to let him in. Bull must go on, for with lion pursuing he has no time to fight goat. J371.1
• King ridiculed for inventing trifle of musical instrument but praised for constructing a great mosque. J372
• Choices: kind strangers, unkind relatives. J390
• Kind foster-parents chosen rather than cruel parents. (Cf. J325.) J391
• Lamb chooses her foster-mother, the she-goat. Owes more to her than to her own mother, who has deserted her. J391.1
• Choice of associates. J400
• Scarcity of real friends. J401
• "A friend is known in need." J401.0.1
• Socrates builds himself a little house. Criticized for its smallness he says, "I wish I had true friends enough to fill it." J401.1
• Association of equals and unequals. J410
• Great refuse to associate with lowly. J411
• Boar refuses to fight with lowly ass. J411.1
• Zeus refuses wedding present from snake. Presents to be received only from equals. J411.2
• Prince refuses to play with common children. J411.3
• Noble poets refuse to associate with truly good poet because of his lowly birth. J411.3.1
• Peasant ashamed of being thrown off by ass. Shameful to be thrown by such a creature. J411.4
• Wolf tries to make friends with lion: killed. J411.5
• Dolphin and whale scorn crab as peacemaker. J411.6
• Laurel and olive tree scorn thornbush as umpire in their dispute as to who is most useful. J411.7
• Mouse on lion's mane. Lion angry at impudence of mouse. J411.8
• Knight disregards insult by servant. J411.9
• King refuses to quarrel with bird. J411.9.1
• Leopard ashamed of having been bitten by lizard. J411.10
• Rich man refuses to associate with poor sister. J411.11
• Profitable association of great and lowly. J412
• Prince of democratic tastes chosen. King asks three sons what kind of bird they would prefer to be. First: an eagle, because it is ruler of birds; second: a falcon; because it is beloved by the nobles; third: a bird which flies with many others, so as to receive advice. King chooses third. J412.1
• Unprofitable association of unequals. J413
• Lion licks sick man, who is thereby disgusted. J413.1
• Marriage with equal or with unequal. J414
• Wife chosen instead of fairy mistress. They let man choose between them. J414.1
• Prince prefers first love to princess he later marries. J414.2
• Unsuccessful marriage of jackals and turtles (different abits). J414.3
• One's own kind preferred to strangers. J416
• Bird refuses to maintain friendship with bird of different habits. J416.1
• Man prefers to live with ordinary rather than with pious man. He will be virtuous by comparison. J417
• Association of strong and weak. J420
• Subordination of weak to strong. J421
• Lion as king makes ass his lieutenant. J421.1
• Lion makes lame goat his lieutenant. J421.2
• Stupid fear company of clever. J423
• Jackal realizes that the partridge was too clever for him and leaves. J423.1
• Weak fear company of strong. J425
• Earthen and brazen pots in river. Brazen pot thinks that they should stay together for company. Earthen pot, however, fears approach of brazen pot. J425.1
• Buffalo refuses tiger's invitation to dinner. He sees fire prepared to cook him. J425.2
• Association of rat with cat ceases as soon as mutual danger has passed. The rat threatened by the weasel and the owl allies himself with a cat caught in a net. Saved by the cat, he rescues the cat with precaution and then prudently renounces further relations with her. J426
• Association of mouse with cat ceases as soon as mutual danger has passed. J426.1
• Friendship of snake and frog ceases when snake wants to eat frog. J426.2
• Association of cow and tiger: tiger eats cow as soon as she is hungry. J427
• Association of tiger and crane. They soon quarrel. J428
• Association of strong and weak – miscellaneous. J429
• Association of swan and swallow: swan unable to fly away from danger. J429.1
• Associating with a bad friend is fatal: swan and crow. Swan is blamed when crow drops filth. J429.2
• Association of young and old. J440
• Profitable association of young and old. J441
• Old ox yoked with young ox. Thus kept in order. J441.1
• Foolish association of young and old. J445
• Foolish youth in love with ugly old mistress. J445.1
• Foolish marriage of old man and young girl. J445.2
• Association of the good and the evil. J450
• Contagiousness of bad company. J451
• Ass buyer returns ass which has associated with lazy companions. J451.1
• Stork killed along with cranes. Ill-advised associations end fatally. J451.2
• God of wealth in bad company. Heracles on his arrival in heaven fails to greet Plutus, the god of wealth: he has seen him in too bad company. J451.3
• Mirror begrimed by snail. J451.4
• Bad associates bring death to bishop. Doctor loses his life for him and lawyer his soul. J452
• Harm of association with flatterers. J455
• Unnecessary choices. J460
• Senseless debate of the mutually useful. J461
• The belly and the members. Debate as to their usefulness. All mutually useful. J461.1
• Tail and head of serpent quarrel as to usefulness. J461.1.1
• Fortune, Intellect, Knowledge, and Health dispute as to which is the greatest. J461.1.2
• Debate of tongue and other bodily members. J461.1.3
• Common wives of man debate as to which has helped him most. Help of each was indispensable. J461.2
• Tobacco, pipe, and match debate usefulness to smoker. J461.3
• Deer, opossum, and snake each render indispensable aid to man. Foolishly debate their usefulness. J461.4
• Rice, wheat, and dal dispute as to which is the best. J461.5
• Dispute of hammer and anvil. J461.6
• Wealth and wisdom dispute as to who is greater. J461.7
• Elephant and ape debate about superiority. Owl gives them task neither can perform and ends futile debate. J461.8
• Unnecessary choices of belief. J462
• Unnecessary choice of gods. King's sons each choose a god: Jupiter for power, Saturn for wisdom, etc. Father says that a god of all combined would be better. J462.1
• Unnecessary choice of philosophies. Aristotle drinks both red and white wine to show that all philosophies are good. J462.2
• Unnecessary choice of religion. J462.3
• Father leaves sons three jewels – Christianity, Judaism, Mohammedanism. All to be used. (Cf. J1262.9.) J462.3.1
• Father gives son three rings. Only one is good although they all look the same. Same with religions. J462.3.1.1
• Unnecessary choice: to go uphill or downhill. Camel prefers the level. J463
• Unnecessary choice: praying or reading. Both are good. J465
• Senseless debates about usefulness. J466
• Pomegranate and apple tree dispute as to which is worth most. Blackberry reproves them for useless jangling. J466.1
• Senseless debate: which is the greater, St. John the Baptist or St. John the Evangelist? J466.2
• Other choices. J480
• Inflicters rather than receivers of wounds chosen. Men with many wounds recommended as soldiers. King had rather have those who gave the wounds. J481
• King advised to marry maid rather than widow. Widow would have things her own way. J482
• Woman refuses second marriage. If husband is good she will fear to lose him; if bad she will repent. J482.1
• Woman refuses second marriage. Her husband abides in her heart. J482.1.1
• Widow refuses second marriage so her brother cannot kill a second husband. J482.1.2
• Better to marry ugly than fair wife. Less hard to satisfy. J482.2
• Better to marry a man lacking money than money lacking a man. J482.2.1
• Young man advised to choose as wife a girl whose mother was chaste. J482.3
• Choice: to do that which one knows or to learn something. J483
• Enjoyment preferred to wealth. J484
• Three sins of the hermit. Choice of three sins given him: adultery, murder (theft), drunkenness. He chooses drunkenness; the others follow. (Cf. J21.25.) J485
• Death preferred above God and Justice. J486
• Tame dog prefers food basin to fleeing hare. J487
• Fox had rather meet one hen than fifty women. J488
• Old sweetheart chosen in preference to new. J491
• [First Edition (Additions and Corrections): J492. Better be consul in Rome than king elsewhere.] J492[1st ed.]
• Little men preferred to big men. Preacher prefers small men because the intellect has difficulty in reaching to one's heels. J493
• Choice: death and revenge preferred to life. J494
• Monk chooses solitude and loneliness to company and temptation. By living alone he escapes sin. J495
• Choice of friend over mistress. Given the choice of his friend or his mistress, man chooses his friend. J496
• Eagle prefers own offspring to changeling. J497
• Prudence in ambition. J510
• One should not attempt to change his color. J511
• Negro tries in vain to be washed white. J511.1
• Animal should not try to change his nature. J512
• Crab comes ashore: killed by fox. J512.1
• Kite tries to neigh like a horse. Loses his voice and gains nothing. J512.2
• Camel tries in vain to dance. J512.3
• Ass tries in vain to play lyre. J512.4
• Wolf tries in vain to be doctor. Only increases patient's suffering. J512.5
• Crow tries to imitate partridge's walk. Only spoils his own. J512.6
• Mouse, bird, and sausage keep house together. When they exchange duties all goes wrong. J512.7
• Elephant, giraffe, snake, and ant try keeping house together: requirements different. J512.7.1
• Ass tries to get a cricket's voice. Asks crickets what they eat to get such a voice. They answer, "dew." He tries it and starves. J512.8
• Lizard tries to make himself as long as snake. Kills himself. J512.9
• Fox tries to mask as dove, but loses all thoughts of murder. J512.10
• Camel and jackal exchange food: camel is led by his good friend to thorny fruit and thorn sticks in his throat. J512.11
• Frog wants to be shod like a horse. J512.12