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Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)

527. JUPITER AND THE TWO SACKS
Perry 266 (Phaedrus 4.10)

Jupiter has given us two sacks to carry. One sack, which is filled with our own faults, is slung across our back, while the other sack, heavy with the faults of others, is tied around our necks. This is the reason why we are blind to our own bad habits but still quick to criticize others for their mistakes.

Note: There is a similar saying in Seneca, On Anger 2.28: 'other people's faults are directly in front of our eyes, while our own faults are behind our backs.' In the Greek versions of this fable (e.g., Chambry 303), it is Prometheus, not Zeus, who fashions the sacks.


Source: Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.