The Fox and the Grapes

Aesop

Bunches of grapes hung from a vine
 

A hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air.
But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach.

So he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, “I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour.”

 
The fox

This fable has given the expression ‘sour grapes’ in English, a phrase used to describe an attitude of scorn towards something we cannot have.

From Aesop’s Fables: a new translation by V.S. Vernon Jones, with an introduction by G.K. Chesterton and illustrations by Arthur Rackham. 1912 edition. This work is in the public domain.