Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

false confidence leads to disaster

false_confidence_leads_to_disaster

A motif of the Pride, Hubris, and Downfall family, within the sub-family Comparative Boasts and Humbling. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


greek

  • Aesop's Fables; a new translation THE FARMER AND THE VIPER / THE TWO FROGS / THE COBBLER TURNED DOCTOR / THE ASS, THE COCK, AND THE LION; lines 3379-3394 confidence: high

    The Ass is elated and reasons that a Lion unable to face a Cock will be even less likely to stand against an Ass, so he pursues the Lion.

    The Ass draws a mistaken conclusion from the Lion’s fear of the Cock, pursues him, and is eaten; the moral explicitly identifies false confidence as disastrous.

    read in the book