Grimms' Fairy Tales Cunning and Cleverness Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Tale.Page)

Quote #1

So Brother Lustig handed him the knapsack through the bars of the gate, and Saint Peter hung it up beside his chair. Suddenly Brother Lustig said, "Now I wish myself into my knapsack." Within seconds he was inside the knapsack and inside heaven as well. So Saint Peter was obliged to let him stay there. (Brother Lustig.276)

Tricking your way into heaven does take some craftiness. Of course, it also helps to have a magic wishing sack. But still, we can't imagine Brother Lustig's going to be all that popular up there.

Quote #2

She looked at everything for many hours, and in her joy she did not notice that the ship had sailed. […] "Oh!" she cried out in horror. "You've deceived me!" (Faithful Johannes)

Apparently, tricking a princess into accompanying you onto a ship is okay if you intend to marry her, and if your social status actually matches hers. This tale actually contains layers of deceit, which is all presented as totally justified so long as it's for a good cause (as when Faithful Johannes follows the advice of ravens to save his king, but has to lie about his intentions).

Quote #3

Naturally, none of what the cat had said was true. He did not have a cousin, nor had he been asked to be godfather. He went straight to the church, crept to the little jar of fat, and began licking and licking until he had licked the skin off the top. (The Companionship of the Cat and the Mouse.5)

Gotta watch out for those cats, they're tricksy fellows (especially gotta watch out if you're a mouse). And it just goes to show that if you make a pact with someone in these tales, we'll it's a fifty-fifty shot if you'll come out of it as planned.