The Fisherman and the Little Fish by Aesop. Short summary

5 seconds

A fisherman caught a fish who immediately begged to be released back into the water. The fish assured him that he would be able to catch it again when it fattens up and grows back. But the wise fisherman did not believe his cunning words.

1 minute

There was an old fisherman who lived by the sea, fishing. One day he caught a little fish on his thin horsehair rod, which he decided to roast and eat. Suddenly the fish cried out in a human voice, asking the man to release it back into the water. It told him that it had only the other day emerged from the caviar under the rock. The fish assured the fisherman that he would catch it again when it had fattened on the seaweed and grown. Then it would be good not only for the fisherman’s humble meals, but also for big feasts.

But the old man did not listen to the little fish that was beating on the hook. He did not change his mind and pierced it with a sharp twig. In doing so, he remarked that throwing away the small but sure thing for the sake of the unreliable is foolish.

The fable «The Fisherman and the Fish» teaches us not to give up something reliable, however small, for attractive but unlikely prospects.