Putting Your Head Inside The Wolf’s Mouth

• July 3, 2006
• Mark Mahorney

It’s not generally in my nature
to have favorite things. I don’t have favorite movie, song, etc… But I do have a
favorite quote from a sixth century B.C. Aesop fable called The Wolf And the
Crane.

I was thinking of this line
today when the S&P 500 moved from down 17 points back to near break even, “You
have put your head inside a Wolf’s mouth and taken it out again in safety; that
ought to be reward enough for you.”

Here’s the rest of the fable:

The Wolf and the Crane

A Wolf had been gorging on an
animal he had killed, when suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat
and he could not swallow it. He soon felt terrible pain in his throat, and he
ran up and down groaning and groaning and seeking for something to relieve the
pain. He tried to induce every one he met to remove the bone. “I would give
anything,” said he, “if you would take it out.” At last the Crane agreed to try,
and told the Wolf to lie on his side and open his jaws as wide as he could. Then
the Crane put its long neck down the Wolf’s throat, and with its beak loosened
the bone, till at last got it out.

“Will you kindly give me the
reward you promised?” said the Crane. The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and
said: “Be content. You have put your head inside a Wolf’s mouth and taken it out
again in safety; that ought to be reward enough for you.”