“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
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A Boy was permitted to put his hand into a jar to take out some filberts.
The jar had a narrow mouth, and the Boy took such a great handful that he could not pull his hand back out.
The Boy became angry and frustrated, huffing and puffing, because he could not get any filberts out of the jar in refusing to give up any from his tight fist.
His Mother saw his condition and said, “Son, be satisfied with half the nuts you are now holding and you will easily get your hand out.”
Moral of the Story: By refusing to concede any of what we want, we fail to get all of what we need.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
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Why We Loved It: This fable reminds us of the old adage by attorneys that a “settlement is a good one if both parties are equally unhappy.” This is because both sides must make concessions. Negotiation tends to be a game of concession. Yes, sometimes we get everything we need and also everything desire, but this tends to be just getting lucky. This fable also isolates a lesson regarding moderation, or pushing a point too far.
Lose a battle, win a war.
Related Article: Greed is Good? – The Business of Aesop™ No. 9 – The Boy and the Filberts
“Amittere proelium vincere bellum.” (“Lose a battle, win a war.”) ~grz
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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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