狗叼著肉渡過一條河。他看見水中自己的倒影，還以為是另一條狗叼著一塊更大的肉。想到這里，他決定要去搶那塊更大的肉。于是，他撲到水中搶那塊更大的。結果，他兩塊肉都沒得到，水中那塊本來就不存在，原有那塊又被河水沖走了。

這篇寓言的本意是戒貪得，但是我們現在可以應用到旁的方面。據說每個人需要一面鏡子，可以常常自照，知道自己是個什么東西。不過，能自知的人根本不用照鏡子；不自知的東西，照了鏡子也沒有用——譬如這只銜肉的狗，照鏡以后，反害他大叫大鬧，空把自己的影子，當作攻擊狂吠的對象。可見有些東西最好不要對鏡自照。

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狗和影子(The Dog and the Shadow）

It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now, on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.