The Man and the Satyr
Aesop's Fables · 1 min read
A man, lost and freezing in a snowy forest, was found by a satyr who took pity on him and led him to his warm cave for shelter. As the man walked, he blew on his cupped hands repeatedly. When the satyr asked why, the man explained simply that his breath warmed his cold fingers.
Once inside, the satyr prepared a bowl of hot soup for his guest, and the man, eager to eat, blew across the surface of the bowl before each spoonful. Curious again, the satyr asked why he did this too. "The soup is too hot," the man explained, "so I blow on it to cool it down before I eat."
The satyr immediately rose and firmly showed the man to the door, refusing to let him stay the night after all. "I want no guest under my roof," he said, "who can blow hot and cold from the very same mouth. I cannot trust a creature whose breath serves whatever purpose is convenient in the moment — and I suspect neither can anyone who befriends you." The man, confused and rejected, was left to find his own way through the cold once more, having learned too late that consistency of character is judged closely by those who are asked to trust it, even in matters that seem small and unrelated.
Moral of the story
Consistency of character is judged closely by those asked to trust it, even in matters that seem small and unrelated.