The Fox and the Billy Goat
There are two lessons in this fable.
The first one is for the billy goat:
Be careful about who you associate with. If your associate is a crook, at some point there is a good chance that they will defraud you.
The second lesson is for all of us and is contained in the last verse of the fable is:
In everything, the end must be considered.
When you think about it, it is obvious. Still, we often do not apply this maxim in our life and investments.
Le Renard et le Bouc
Capitaine renard allait de compagnie
Avec son ami bouc des plus haut encornés :
Celui-ci ne voyait pas plus loin que son nez ;
L’autre était passé maître en fait de tromperie.
La soif les obligea de descendre en un puits ;
Là chacun d’eux se désaltère.
Après qu’abondamment tous deux
en eurent pris,
Le renard dit au bouc :
Que ferons-nous, compère ?
Ce n’est pas tout de boire, il faut sortir d’ici.
Lève tes pieds en haut, et tes cornes aussi ;
Mets-les contre le mur : le long de ton échine
Je grimperai premièrement ;
Puis sur tes cornes m’élevant,
À l’aide de cette machine,
De ce lieu-ci je sortirai,
Après quoi je t’en tirerai.
Par ma barbe, dit l’autre, il est bon ;
et je loue
Les gens bien sensés comme toi.
Je n’aurais jamais, quant à moi,
Trouvé ce secret, je l’avoue.
Le renard sort du puits,
laisse son compagnon,
Et vous lui fait un beau sermon
Pour l’exhorter à patience.
Si le ciel t’eût, dit-il, donné par excellence
Autant de jugement que de barbe au menton,
Tu n’aurais pas, à la légère,
Descendu dans ce puits. Or, adieu ;
j’en suis hors :
Tâche de t’en tirer et fais tous les efforts ;
Car, pour moi, j’ai certaine affaire
Qui ne me permet pas d’arrêter en chemin.
En toute chose il faut considérer la fin.
The Fox and the Billy Goat
Captain fox went company
With his big-horned friend:
This one couldn't see past his nose;
The other was a master of deception.
Thirst compelled them to descend into a well;
There each of them quenches their thirst.
After both had drunken water
abundantly,
The fox said to the goat:
What shall we do, buddy?
It's not just drinking, we have to get out of here.
Lift your feet on high, and your horns too;
Put them against the wall: down your spine
I will climb first;
Then on your horns raising me,
Using this machine,
From this place, I will come out,
Then I'll get you out.
By my beard, said the other, he is good;
and I praise
Sensible people like you.
I would never, for my part,
Found this secret, I confess.
The fox comes out of the well,
leaves his companion,
And gave him a beautiful sermon
To urge him to be patient.
If heaven had given you, he said, par excellence
As much judgment as much beard on the chin,
You wouldn't have, lightly,
Descended into this well. Now, farewell;
I'm out:
Try to get out of it and make every effort;
Because, for me, I have certain business
Which does not allow me to stop on the way.
In everything, the end must be considered.
First Fable: The Circada and the Ant
Previous fable: La Fontaine's Fables #16: The Wolf turned Shepherd
Next fable: The Drunkard and his Wife
Don't associate with a crook, a swindler, or a trickster
If you associate with somebody, that is if you have a close relationship with a person, either emotionally, financially, or other, you should make sure that you know the person well enough and that they will not be dishonest with you, at least in the near future.
If the person is your boss or your neighbor, this is not what I call an associate.
A co-founder of a company or a spouse is an associate. And you better be sure that you know enough about the person and their past before entering into the relationship.
If you do not, don't be surprised when the relationship breaks and you are pushed out of the company or the marriage.
Always consider the end of any substantial endeavor
We are not talking here about a trip to the grocery store or organizing a surprise birthday party for your significant other, Although it would be good to know in advance what groceries you need to buy, or if your SO hates surprise parties.
What we are talking about here is something where you have substantial risks, either physically, financially, or emotionally.
If you have a heart condition, you should not start alone any physical effort that has the slightest chance to trigger a heart attack.
If you invest in a business that does not have a long history of success, you should only invest money that you can afford to lose. The same applies to buying cryptos that are not well-established.
-- Vincent Celier