Krilof and His Fables/The Two Casks

There go two casks. One full of wine, the other empty. See how silently, at a mere foot's pace, the first drags itself along; but the other flies past at a gallop, with a sound of thunder from its banging along the road, and a pillar of dust above it. Hearing it afar off, the passer-by hurries aside in fear.

But, noisy as that cask may be, there is not as much use in it as in the other.

There is little real good in a man who never ceases telling every one about his own performances. He who is really great in deeds is generally sparing of words. A great man makes a noise only by what he does, shaping in silence his firm resolve.