Story Summary
Read the classic Aesop's Fable, The Fox Without a Tail. After losing his tail in a trap, a fox tries to convince his peers that being tailless is the new fashion.
A Fox was once caught in a trap by his tail and could only escape by leaving the tail behind. Ashamed of his disfigurement, he felt his life among other foxes was now unbearable. He decided to bring his peers down to his level by convincing them that a tail was an ugly, heavy, and useless appendage. He called a meeting of all the foxes and made a long speech about the benefits of being tailless, urging them to cut theirs off. However, a wise old fox stepped forward and said, 'My friend, if you had not lost your own tail, you would not be so eager to advise us to part with ours.' The assembly burst into laughter, and the humiliated fox slunk away.
The Moral
Distrust the advice of those who seek to lower others to their own level of misfortune.
“If you had not lost your own tail, you would not be so eager to advise us to part with ours.”
Fun Fact
This fable is often cited in psychological studies regarding 'cognitive dissonance,' where individuals change their attitudes to match a situation they cannot change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the moral of The Fox Without a Tail?
The moral is to be wary of advice from people who have a personal stake in your loss. It warns against those who try to make their own misfortune appear as a desirable trend.
How did the fox lose his tail?
The fox was caught in a hunter's trap. In his desperate struggle to escape and save his life, he snapped his tail off, leaving it behind in the jaws of the trap.
Who wrote The Fox Without a Tail?
This fable is attributed to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE.
What does 'misery loves company' have to do with this story?
The story is a literal illustration of the proverb 'misery loves company.' The fox cannot fix his own problem, so he tries to make everyone else suffer the same fate to feel better.
What was the fox's argument for removing tails?
He argued that tails were heavy, inconvenient, and unattractive. He tried to frame his disability as a conscious fashion choice and a functional improvement.
Why didn't the other foxes believe him?
The other foxes saw through his deception because his motive was too obvious. The wise old fox pointed out that the advice was self-serving rather than helpful.