# The Two Pots explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

Two pots, one made of earthenware and the other of brass, are swept away by a flood. The brass pot offers to protect the earthenware pot, but the earthenware pot declines, fearing that any contact with the stronger brass pot would shatter it. The fable illustrates that equals make the best friends.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wisdom and Foolishness

The earthenware pot wisely recognizes the danger of unequal companionship, avoiding a seemingly protective but actually destructive alliance.

### Social Hierarchy and Power

The fable highlights the risks inherent in relationships between unequal parties, where the stronger may inadvertently harm the weaker.

## Key lines

> Equals make the best friends.

Friendships are most successful when both parties are of equal standing or strength.

_This is the moral of the fable, emphasizing the value of equality in relationships._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-two-pots
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters