The Boy and the Hazelnuts: An Aesop Fable About Greed and Self-Control

A young Boy was given permission to reach into a narrow pitcher and take some hazelnuts.
Excited, he grabbed the biggest handful he could.
But when he tried to pull his hand back out, it got stuck. His fist was too full to fit through the opening of the pitcher.
The Boy refused to let go of even a single nut. He wanted to keep them all.
Frustrated and unable to free his hand, he began to cry.
His mother smiled gently and said,
“My boy, be satisfied with half of what you’ve taken. Then you’ll be able to pull your hand out easily. And if you’re patient, you may be allowed to have more another time.”
The Boy realized that by trying to take everything at once, he had ended up with nothing.

Moral: Greed often keeps us from enjoying what we already have. Sometimes taking less leads to getting more.

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