Morals in Literature

The most prolific source of stories with morals is "Aesop’s Fables."  Here is a sampling of them:

• Appearances often are deceiving. - From "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"
• Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease. - From "The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons"
• Don't make much ado about nothing. - From "The Mountain in Labor"
• Every man should be content to mind his own business. - From "The Seagull and the Kite"
• Example is more powerful than precept. - From "The Crab and Its Mother"
• Familiarity breeds contempt. - From "The Fox and the Lion"
• He is not to be trusted as a friend who mistreats his own family. - From "The Master and His Dogs"
• He is wise who is warned by the misfortunes of others. - From "The Sick Lion"
• He who once begins to tell falsehoods is obliged to tell others to make them appear true, and, sooner or later, they will get him into trouble. - From "The Monkey and the Dolphin"
• He who seeks to injure others often injures only himself. - From "The Horse and the Stag"
• It is best to prepare for the days of necessities. - From "The Ant and the Grasshopper"
• It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds. - From "The Jay and the Peacock"
• It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress. - From "The Bull and the Goat"
• Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends. - From "The Bear and the Two Travelers"
• Necessity is the mother of invention. - From "The Crow and the Pitcher"
• No one should be blamed for his infirmities. - From "The Old Hound"
• Pride goes before destruction. -  From "The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle"
• The hero is brave in deeds as well as words. - From "The Hunter and the Woodman"
• There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth. - From "The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf"
• Things are not always what they seem. - From "Bee-Keeper and the Bees"
• Those who assume a character which does not belong to them, only make themselves ridiculous. - From "The Crow and the Raven"

All of these different stories provide good examples of morals, each containing an important moral and an important lesson to learn.