“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
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The Mice needed a plan to protect them from the Cat.
Many plans were being discussed, when a young Mouse got up and said, “I have a plan!”
“All we have to do is to hang a bell on the Cat’s neck. When we hear the bell ringing, we will know that our enemy is coming.”
“Excellent idea,” exclaimed the other Mice with great excitement, albeit somewhat chagrined that they had not thought of such a simple and obvious plan before.
But, then, the wise old Mouse arose, and said quietly: “Yes, that plan is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?”
Moral of the Story: Ideas must succeed through actual implementation.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
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Why We Loved It: This fable is the origin of the phrase, “to bell the cat.” It reminds us of what we tend to forget: the distance between the idea and the implementation tends to be vast. It is a great idea to circumvent the Earth, but not so easy to do. A battle plan may look great on paper, until consideration is given to the supply line to support the warriors. This famous fable reminds us simply, to think it through.
Related Articles: Big Ideas – Business of Aesop™ No. 8 – Belling the Cat; The Distinguished Napoleon – The Business of Aesop™ No. 2 – The Frog and the Ox
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© 2013 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. and Arnold Zegarelli. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn. Arnold Zegarelli can be contacted through Facebook.
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