A Boy grasped as many Filberts in a pitcher he could hold. His hand became stuck; a bystander pointed out he should not be so greedy to get his hand out.
Greed leads to trouble.
A Boy put his hand into a pitcher full of Filberts and grasped as many as he could. When he tried to withdraw his hand he could not. A bystander saw his problem and advised him to be satisfied with a smaller handful in order to be able to withdraw his hand.
Aesop For Children
A Boy was given permission to put his hand into a pitcher to get some filberts. But he took such a great fistful that he could not draw his hand out again. There he stood, unwilling to give up a single filbert and yet unable to get them all out at once. Vexed and disappointed he began to cry.
“My boy,” said his mother, “be satisfied with half the nuts you have taken and you will easily get your hand out. Then perhaps you may have some more filberts some other time.”
Moral
Do not attempt too much at once.
JBR Collection
A Boy once thrust his band into a pitcher which was full of figs and filberts. He grasped as many as his fist could possibly hold, but when he endeavoured to draw it out, the narrowness of the neck prevented him. Not liking to lose any of them, but unwilling to draw out his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly bemoaned his hard fortune. An honest fellow who stood by gave him this wise and reasonable advice: “Grasp only half the quantity, my boy, and you will easily succeed.”
Townsend version
A Boy put his hand into a pitcher full of filberts. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the pitcher. Unwilling to lose his filberts, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment. A bystander said to him, “Be satisfied with half the quantity, and you will readily draw out your hand.”
Moral
Do not attempt too much at once.
