Aesop's Fables, Part 14 summary
Part 14 of 284 · 1 min to read the part
In The Spendthrift and the Swallow, a man who has wasted his money sees a swallow and sells his coat because he thinks summer has arrived. A hard frost kills the bird and leaves him freezing, showing the danger of drawing a broad conclusion from one sign.
What happens
- A spendthrift has wasted his fortune and owns only the clothes he wears.
- He sees a swallow in early spring and takes it as a sign that summer has arrived.
- He sells his coat, but the weather turns cold and frost kills the swallow.
- He finds the dead bird and blames it for his own suffering.
- The closing moral warns that one swallow cannot establish that summer has arrived.
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What to notice
The moral warns against trusting a single sign. The man's mistake shows how a weak conclusion can lead to a harmful decision.
Quick check
Why does the spendthrift sell his coat?
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