The kite once had a different voice, which was shrill. But one day it heard a horse neighing admirably, and wanted to imitate it. Yet for all its repeated attempts, it could not manage to take on the horse's voice exactly, and it lost its own voice besides. In this way it got neither the horse's voice nor its own of former days.
Vulgar and envious people covet the qualities that run counter to their nature and lose those that agree with it.
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