Don't let your special character and values, the secret that you

“Don't let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth—don't let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.” — Aesop

Though centuries veil the life of Aesop, the ancient teller of fables, his wisdom speaks as though freshly breathed from the lips of eternity. In this powerful exhortation, he warns the soul against the silent devourer of greatness—complacency. He speaks not of the grand evils that strike with thunder and flame, but of the quiet one that dulls the spirit and lulls the heart into forgetting its unique truth. “Don’t let your special character and values,” he says—for within every human being lies a spark that belongs to no other, a sacred flame of purpose, vision, and virtue. To lose that flame to the “great chewing complacency” is to allow the world’s indifference to consume what is most divine within us.

The origin of this quote, though attributed to Aesop, reflects the timeless essence of his parables—stories that reveal moral truths through simple yet enduring imagery. In his fables, animals spoke not of beasts but of men, and their actions reflected the follies of the human heart. If this saying were a fable, it would be the tale of the lion who forgot he was a lion, living among sheep until his roar turned to bleating. Aesop, through this wisdom, calls us back to remembrance—to hold fast to the secret strength that dwells within us and to guard it from the numbing ease of conformity.

Complacency is the great devourer of the human spirit. It does not destroy with violence; it erodes with comfort. It whispers, “Be still; all is well,” until the fire of aspiration dims and the mind, once sharp with curiosity, grows dull. Great civilizations, too, have perished not from war but from decay within. The Romans, masters of the world, grew complacent in luxury and indulgence; their vigor dissolved, and their empire crumbled. The same truth holds for the soul: when we cease to strive, we begin to die. The world’s mediocrity is ever hungry—it seeks to chew and swallow the bright edge of individuality, leaving behind only the bland taste of sameness.

Yet Aesop reminds us that each person holds a secret truth—a light known only to their heart. This truth may be a calling, a conviction, a way of seeing the world that no other can replicate. It is the “special character and values” that define one’s essence. To surrender that truth for acceptance or ease is to betray the very reason one was born. History is full of those who resisted the tide of complacency: Socrates, who chose death over silence; Galileo, who faced persecution for truth; Harriet Tubman, who defied law and danger to follow her moral light. These were souls who refused to let the world’s dullness extinguish their inner fire.

In our own time, the danger is subtler but no less deadly. The modern age tempts us to comfort, to distraction, to the quiet surrender of passion. The “great chewing complacency” is not only in nations—it is in each of us, every day we settle for less than we are capable of. It gnaws at courage, replacing it with convenience; it devours imagination, leaving only imitation. Against this tide, Aesop’s words stand like a trumpet call: remember who you are. Guard the part of you that is still wild, still curious, still aflame with wonder.

The lesson, then, is one of vigilance and remembrance. Each morning, recall your secret truth—the values you hold sacred, the purpose that gives your life meaning—and protect it from the slow poison of indifference. Cultivate it with action, with reflection, with courage. Seek challenge over comfort, meaning over ease. For the soul that resists complacency is the soul that lives fully, and the person who honors their truth becomes a beacon to others lost in the fog of conformity.

So, O seeker of wisdom, let these words echo in your heart: do not be eaten by the great chewing complacency. Stand apart if you must, for greatness never grows where all is safe and still. Tend to the secret fire within you—the one that no one else sees, the one that makes you you. For when you honor that flame, you not only preserve your own spirit—you keep alive the very light of humanity itself.