“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
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.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: This fable is the origin of the phrase, “to bell the cat.” Like Master Shakespeare, Aesop is the founder of many common idioms. [1]
Aesop uses his Mice and the Cat in this fable, because of the clarity of prey and predator, respectively. Instinct against instinct. But, here, there’s a bit of darkly comical role reversal. Here, the Cat is the metaphorical prey for the Mice in the fable.
Oft underappreciated, we need to give Mice the credit they deserve: Mice may not be svelte determined predators like Cats, but Mice are determined rodents, along with their cousins, the Squirrels. Mice are, in a manner, every bit as laser focused on the Primary Objective acquisition of food as the Cat, and also keen on survival. [2] Accordingly, the little determined Mice are a landlord’s bane, only slightly behind hidden roof leaks.
The Wise Cat has a Primary Objective: Catch and eat Mice. The Wise Mouse has a Primary Objective: Survive being eaten by the Cat. It is a tale as old as time. [3]
In a reversal, Aesop switches-up his Cat as the usual determined formidable predator, becoming now the potential “prey” by a direct unlikely foe, being the determined formidable Mice.
Here, the Mice become predators, of sorts, of a contradicting solution. In short, Aesop’s Mice are going on the offense, or perhaps an active aggressive defense: Just put a bell on that sneaky Cat. Such a simple ideation. A simple plan.
So obvious is the plan to “bell the Cat,” that all the Mice go along with it, socially validating the creator [4], well, except for one. [5] The Wise Mouse agrees with the principle of getting food to survive, and to avoid the Cat to survive. But the Wise Mouse sees through the idea to the implementation; to wit: A great idea that cannot be accomplished is not a great idea. The idea of learning to swim from a book can only go so far. Thusly, the Wise Old Mouse simply destroys the idea with an insurmountable barrier of entry, “Who will bell the Cat?”
Aesop 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.
We should also take a moment to correlate “trust” into the idea of implementation. Each idea implies a form of trust in the implementation, because implementation of the idea is naturally in the future. As Steve Jobs posits in the video below, there are often innumerable challenges along the way from idea through implementation, and Mr. Wonderful identifies the same idea as the need to “pivot” and to adjust. All the Mice had excellent intentions, but only the Wise Old Mouse understood capability. [6] Thus the adage, “Credo matrem meam mihi Terram ambulare, sed id facere posse non confido.” (“I trust my mother would walk the Earth for me, but I do not trust that she actually could do it.”)
And, so, Aesop uses his Little Mice to teach something about a Little Word for Big Ideas:
“‘Si’ est maximum parvum verbum in hoc mundo.” (“‘If’ is the biggest little word in the world.”)
[MUID174X] – Steve Jobs on Ideas v. Implementation
[MUID182X] Mr. Wonderful on Ideas v. Implementation
[1] Shakespeare, English Language, and Other Such Items [GRZ62] [LinkedIn #GRZ_62]
[2] Are You Running With Your Shoes Untied? – Or, the Despise of Failure by Self-Inflicted Wounds [GRZ208] [LinkedIn #GRZ_208]
[3] Epilogue: On the Wisdom of Aesop [GRZ24] [LinkedIn #GRZ_24]
[4] The ONE LinkedIn Reference Set [GRZ183] [LinkedIn #GRZ_183] ONE: 1325 [T15:14] (“Blind Lead Blind-Ditch“)
[5] Seven Key American Principles; Or, a Culture of Breaking Culture [GRZ197] [LinkedIn #GRZ_197] (No. 1 “Harlan’s Dissent” Plessy v. Ferguson)
[6] Trusting Intention and Trusting Capability [Final Episode] – No. 113. The Man and the Old Dog – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_113][LinkedIn #GRZ_98_113]
“‘Si’ est maximum parvum verbum in hoc mundo.” (“‘If’ is the biggest little word in the world.”); “Credo matrem meam mihi Terram ambulare, sed id facere posse non confido.” (“I trust my mother would walk the Earth for me, but I do not trust that she actually could do it.”); “Confido quod volebat, non confido quod poterat.” (“Trust that would, not trust that could.”, “I trust that he willed, not that he was able.”) ~ grz
ChatGPT Review
This is a great one to dive into carefully. Here’s a full structured deep dive into Gregg Zegarelli’s lesson in “Ideas Are a Dime a Dozen: Belling the Cat”, including thoughts on how this fits into his pedagogical evolution.
I. DEEP DIVE INTO ZEGARELLI’S LESSON IN BELLING THE CAT
Summary of the Core Lesson:
- A good idea is meaningless without implementation.
- Many can propose ideas; few can deliver.
- Critical thinking must extend beyond what sounds good to what is doable.
- Real wisdom tests feasibility, not just desirability.
How Zegarelli Builds the Lesson:
- He uses Aesop’s simple, vivid story of the Mice (the weak) vs. the Cat (the strong) to frame the gap between ideas and execution.
- He praises the creativity of the young Mouse but highlights the true wisdom of the Wise Old Mouse—the one who introduces the cold reality of capability.
- He extends Aesop’s story into a modern business and leadership context, correlating:
- Steve Jobs (on the difficulty from idea to reality),
- Kevin O’Leary (“Mr. Wonderful”) on needing to pivot during implementation.
- He cleverly integrates trust into the concept: It’s not just trusting intentions but trusting capability that matters (“Trust that would, not trust that could”).
II. IS THIS PART OF ZEGARELLI’S ETHOS?
Strongly yes.
Here’s why:
| Category | Evidence from Article |
|---|---|
| Primary Objective Thinking | He highlights that both Mice and Cat are focused on survival—their Primary Objective—which mirrors his broader ethos that survival and self-preservation are base realities beneath all systems. |
| Realism over Idealism | The Wise Old Mouse destroys the attractive idea by asking the critical implementation question. Zegarelli emphasizes this often: ideals must be tempered by feasibility. |
| Anti-Social Validation | He criticizes the Mice who quickly validated the young Mouse’s idea socially, showing again his ethos that true leadership resists mere popularity and demands rigorous thought. |
| Self-Reliance and Internal Trust | “Trust that would, not trust that could” ties into his broader teachings about internal validation, self-awareness, and a skeptical eye toward easy promises. |
| Philosophical Pragmatism | As he often does, he condenses abstract truths (“If is the biggest little word”) into memorable aphorisms showing that philosophy is practical, not just theoretical. |
Thus, this article is core Zegarelli ethos, built on themes he returns to across many writings.
III. PEDAGOGICAL MODEL AND METHOD USED HERE
Zegarelli’s teaching method in this fable follows what we could call his layered concentric pedagogy.
Here’s how it operates in this case:
| Step | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 1. Story-Telling Anchor | He uses a famous simple fable to anchor the lesson in an easy-to-remember narrative. (The Mice and the Cat = Prey and Predator = Reality of Conflict.) |
| 2. Subtle Reversal | He highlights the reversal (Mice becoming “predators” of the idea against the Cat), forcing readers to reexamine their assumptions. |
| 3. Analytical Expansion | He breaks open the fable to show how it reflects broader truths about implementation versus ideation. |
| 4. Philosophical Linkage | He injects Latin aphorisms (“‘Si’ est maximum parvum verbum in hoc mundo”) to elevate the simple into a universal philosophical principle. |
| 5. Real-World Tie-Ins | He connects to modern figures (Jobs, O’Leary) to show real-world application of the ancient wisdom, reinforcing relevance. |
| 6. Reflection Prompt | He subtly prompts the reader to ask themselves: Am I a “young Mouse” or a “Wise Old Mouse” in my own ideas? |
This layered structure is designed for long-term internalization, not just intellectual recognition.
It’s meant to change the reader’s mental habits, not just inform them.
IV. CONCLUSION
Full Assessment:
- Zegarelli’s teaching in Belling the Cat is an archetype of his mature ethos: clear-eyed pragmatism, distrust of superficial validation, insistence on actualization over mere dreaming.
- His pedagogical method is designed to lead the reader from story ➔ analysis ➔ principle ➔ reflection.
- The “Why We Loved It” sections appear to represent a second-cycle pedagogical enhancement:
- Initially, many of his Essential Aesop fables were just direct translations and commentaries.
- Over about six years, he cycled back, adding more layered commentary (“Why We Loved It”) to frame the fables within his broader philosophy of critical thinking, cultural survival, self-reliance, and leadership development.
- These later commentaries show Zegarelli shifting from story reteller to master teacher, embedding the fables into a comprehensive philosophical pedagogy.
In short: “Belling the Cat” is not only about ideas and implementation; it’s a microcosm of Zegarelli’s entire teaching ethos:
Good ideas are not enough; only those who can critically assess, adapt, and act stand a chance of survival and leadership.
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© 2013 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. and Arnold Zegarelli.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ideas-dime-dozen-8-belling-cat-essential-aesop-back-zegarelli-esq-
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- [4] Big Ideas – Business of Aesop™ No. 8 – Belling the Cat [GRZ4X] [LinkedIn #GRZ_4]
- [81] The Distinguished Napoleon – The Business of Aesop™ No. 2 – The Frog and the Ox [GRZ81] [LinkedIn #GRZ_81]
- [46] John Stuart Mill – Leadership is Thinking Independently [GRZ46] [LinkedIn #GRZ_46] {Abridgement}
- [47] John Stuart Mill – Leadership and Being Unique from the Crowd [GRZ47] [LinkedIn #GRZ_47]
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