被蚂蚁咬了的人和赫耳墨斯（The man bitten by the ant and Hermes）
一个哲学家在海边看见一艘船遇难，船上的水手和乘客全部淹死了。他便抱怨上帝不公，为了一个罪恶的人偶尔乘这艘船，竟让全船无辜的人都死去。正当他深深的沉思时，他觉得自己被一大群蚂蚁围住了。原来哲学家站在蚂蚁窝旁了。有一只蚂蚁爬到他脚上，咬了他一口。他立刻用脚将他们全踩死了。这时，赫耳墨斯出来了，他用棍子敲打着哲学家说:“你自己也和上帝一样，如此对待众多可怜的蚂蚁。你又怎么能做判断天道的人呢?"
寓意：人不可苛求别人，因为自己也难免犯同样的错误。
A philosopher saw a ship wrecked by the sea, and all the sailors and passengers on board were drowned. He complained that God was unfair. For a sinful man, he occasionally took the ship and let all the innocent people on the ship die. While he was thinking deeply, he felt surrounded by a large group of ants. The philosopher was standing by the ant nest. An ant climbed onto his foot and bit him. He immediately trampled them all to death with his feet. Then Hermes came out. He beat the philosopher with a stick and said, "you yourself treat many poor ants like God. How can you be a judge of the way of heaven“
Moral: people should not be critical of others, because they will inevitably make the same mistakes.
丈夫和妻子（Husband and wife）
某人的妻子脾气非常怪癖，她与家里的所有人都难以相处。丈夫想知道她与她娘家的人是否也是如此，便找了一个很好的借口把她送回了娘家。刚过几天，她就回来了，丈夫问妻子娘家的人待她怎么样。她回答说：“那些放牛和牧羊的人都不给我好脸色看。”丈夫对她说道：“啊，亲爱的，若那些早出晚归的牧人都不能与你很好地相处的话，那么整天和你在一起生活的人又会对你怎么样呢。”
寓意：事情常常可以由小见大，由表及里。Someone's wife has a very strange temper. She is difficult to get along with everyone in the family. The husband wanted to know whether she and her family were the same, so he found a good excuse to send her back to her family. Just a few days later, she came back. Her husband asked his wife how her family treated her. She replied, "those cattle herders and shepherds don't give me a good face." her husband said to her, "ah, honey, if those shepherds who go out early and return late can't get along well with you, what will the people who live with you all day do to you."
Moral: things can often be seen from small to large, from outside to inside.
惹是生非的人（A troublemaker）
有个喜欢惹是生非的人跟别人打赌，说，他能够证明特尔斐的神谕都是些骗人的鬼话。到了约定的那一天，他手里攥着一只麻雀，然后用宽大的大氅盖住自己的双手，就径直来到了神庙里。等他进到神庙站在神像前，他就问神，我手里拿着的东西是活的还是死的？其实他心里早就打好了盘算，如果神说是死的，他就把活的麻雀掏出来，如果神说是活的，他就把手里的麻雀掐死了再拿出来。这样还不由着自己说结果吗？然而他的那些可笑的心思，已经被神识破了，于是神就对他说，你这个心存不良的家伙，你手里的东西是死是活，完全都是你说了算的，竟然敢在我这里卖弄！
寓意：不要随意卖弄小聪明，那是对真正聪明和权威的人的怠慢。
A troublemaker bet that he could prove that Delphi's oracle was a lie. On the appointed day, he held a sparrow in his hand, covered his hands with a wide cloak, and went straight to the temple. When he entered the temple and stood in front of the statue, he asked God, is the thing in my hand alive or dead? In fact, he had already planned in his heart. If God said it was dead, he would take out the live sparrow. If God said it was alive, he would strangle the sparrow in his hand and take it out again. Don't you have to say the result yourself? But his funny thoughts were already seen by God, so God told him that you are a bad fellow, and that what you have in your hands is alive or dead, and you are the one who has the final say, and dare to show off here.
Moral: don't show off your cleverness at will. It's a neglect of people who are really smart and authoritative.
自吹自擂的人（A boaster）
有个参加五项运动的选手，因为比赛时常常缺乏勇气，受到当地公众的指责，只得离乡背井外出谋生。过了一段时日他回来了，逢人就吹嘘，说自己在各地参赛时取得了许多优异成绩，尤其他在罗得岛创下了那么高的跳远记录，无论哪一个奥林匹克获奖选手都只能甘拜下风。他又说，当时目睹这一盛况的人只要此刻在场，都能为他作证。此时，有个旁观者高声说道：“朋友，假如你说的是实话，那么压根儿就不需要什么见证人。你就把这儿当做罗得岛，你跳吧。”
寓意：但凭行动作证，不须白费唇舌。
A pentathlon athlete was often criticized by the local public for his lack of courage during the competition, so he had to leave his hometown to make a living. After a period of time, he came back and boasted to everyone that he had achieved many excellent results in various places, especially in Rhode Island, which set such a high long jump record. No matter which Olympic winner could only bow down. He added that those who witnessed the event at that time could testify for him as long as they were present at the moment. At this time, a bystander shouted, "my friend, if you are telling the truth, you don't need any witnesses at all. Just regard this as Rhode Island and jump."
Moral: but you don't have to waste your words to testify by action.
盲人（blind）
很久以前有一个盲人，他的触觉神经十分灵敏，不管把什么动物放在他手里，他只要轻轻摸一摸，就能说出那到底是什么动物。有一次有人把一只狼的幼崽放在他手里，让他猜测一下，究竟是什么动物。他用手反复摸了几次后，还是有点不敢确定，他说道：“这动物我估计不是狐狸的幼崽，就是狼的幼崽，也有可能是其他肉食动物的幼崽，这个我没法确定。不过有一点我可以肯定，那就是一定不能把这种动物幼崽放在羊群里。”
寓意：坏人的本性也许是无法掩饰的，通过表象就能有所察觉。
A long time ago, there was a blind man. His tactile nerve was very sensitive. No matter what animal he put in his hand, he could tell what animal it was as long as he touched it gently. Once someone put a wolf's cub in his hand and asked him to guess what animal it was. After repeatedly touching it with his hand for several times, he was still a little unsure. He said, "I guess this animal is not the cub of fox, the cub of wolf, or the cub of other carnivores. I can't be sure. But one thing I'm sure is that we must not put this animal cub in the sheep."
Moral: the nature of bad people may not be able to hide, and they can be noticed through appearance.
