- Félix María Samaniego, author of the saying who hears sycophants never expect another award.
- The Fox and the Raven: A Fable about Flattery
- On honesty and trust in relationships
- References
"He who hears sycophants never expect another prize" is a saying that means that people who approach others flattering a lot usually have hidden and dark goals or desires.
The original inspirer of this saying is the Greek philosopher Aesop. Historians of ancient Greece believe that he was born between the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Possibly, he was born in what is now known as Turkey. He dies in the city of Delphi.
The fox is the main character in the fable of Félix María Samaniego
Among his writings there are about 300 fables that leave messages to their readers about different aspects of life. Thousands of years later, in Spain, the writer Félix María Samaniego would be born, who wrote the fable where the saying is taken directly.
Félix María Samaniego, author of the saying who hears sycophants never expect another award.
Samaniego was born in 1745, in Larguardia –also known as Guardia-, a town in the Basque Country of Spain. Samaniego was asked for a letter whose content was instructive messages for the young people of a school.
As Félix María had interacted with different intellectuals of his time, he learned to be critical and sarcastic with the reality that he lived in his time.
Other works had influence to inspire him such as Phaedrus, written by Plato.
With these influences, he wrote the moral fables, which contain 157 texts with such literary richness that they are known to this day.
The Fox and the Raven: A Fable about Flattery
Inside the book Fables is the story of a fox and a crow. The bird is perched on a branch with a piece of cheese in its mouth.
When the fox sees this, he starts saying nice and flattering words to gain your attention.
The raven falls for his adulation and when he tries to sing out of joy at the words received, the cheese he had on the boa falls off.
The fox from the ground, already with the cheese in his mouth, tells him: “Mr. fool, then, without other food you are left with praises so swollen and full, digest the flattery while I eat the cheese (…) Whoever hears flatterers, never wait for another prize ”.
The main message of this fable is that flattering people always have a dark interest, because their words are not sincere and only seek to capture the attention of the person being flattered.
Dark wishes or intentions usually seek to take something that the flattering person desires and that the person receiving the dark flattery possesses.
On honesty and trust in relationships
The fable of the fox and the raven shows us only one facet of what human relationships can be. But, for the good of people, not all human relationships are based on deception and false flattery.
Many people wake up every day to go out and live their lives based on trust and honesty with others.
It is always important to approach people who give constructive criticism or good advice, because wanting to help others in this way is that many sincere words come.
References
- Moral Fables. SAMANIEGO, FÉLIX MARÍA. Recovered from the site: web.seducoahuila.gob.mx
- Felix Maria Samaniego. Biographies and Lives, the online encyclopedia. Recovered from the site: biografiasyvidas.com
- The Fables of Aesop. Recovered from the site: pacomova.eresmas.net
- Biography of Aesop. Biographies and Lives, the online encyclopedia. Recovered from the site: biografiasyvidas.com
- Spain Total. Recovered from the site: espanhatotal.com
- Phaedrus. PLATO. Recovered from the site: philosophia.org
- Image N1. Author: no name. Recovered from the site: pixabay.com.