Section 102
The Bear and the Fox explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
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A Bear was once bragging about his generous feelings, and saying how refined he was compared with other animals. (There is, in fact, a tradition that a Bear will never touch a dead body.) A Fox, who heard him talking in this strain, smiled and said, "My friend, when you are hungry, I only wish you _would_ confine...
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Public-domain original
A Bear was once bragging about his generous feelings, and saying how
refined he was compared with other animals. (There is, in fact, a
tradition that a Bear will never touch a dead body.) A Fox, who heard
him talking in this strain, smiled and said, "My friend, when you are
hungry, I only wish you _would_ confine your attention to the dead and
leave the living alone."
A hypocrite deceives no one but himself.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A bear boasts that he never eats dead bodies, and the fox questions his treatment of the living.
Why this scene matters
This fable exposes moral pride that ignores greater harm.
Characters in this scene
- Bear: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Fox: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
The bear praises himself for one restraint. The fox points out that it would be better not to kill in the first place.