Tel est pris qui croyait prendre. — Jean de La Fontaine | Printable Wall Art

“Tel est pris qui croyait prendre.”
“He who thought to catch is caught himself.”

Words by Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) — French poet and fabulist, author of the Fables.

About this quote

This proverb describes a situation where an attempt to deceive or trap someone backfires entirely on the schemer. It reminds us that overconfidence and cunning often lead to unexpected defeat. Rather than outsmarting another person, the plotter becomes the victim of their own clever plan, serving as a humorous lesson in humility and poetic justice.

The phrase comes from Jean de La Fontaine’s seventeenth-century fable The Rat and the Oyster. In the tale, a rat attempts to eat an open oyster, only to be trapped inside when it snaps shut.

People often hang this in a home office or games room as a playful warning against overconfidence.

What you get

An instant digital download. Choose your design and size at checkout — 19 typographic designs and 8 print sizes are available for this quote.

• Print-ready PDF with fully embedded vector type — sharp at any scale
• Exact trim size, no cropping required
• Print at home, at a local print shop, or upload to an online printer
• Instant download — no physical item is shipped

Sizes available

5" x 7" · 8" x 10" · 11" x 14" · 12" x 16" · 16" x 20" · 18" x 24" · 24" x 36" · A4 (21 x 29.7 cm)

Designs available

Atelier Serif · Quiet Garamond · Studio Left · Gallery Rule · Midnight Serif · Editorial Left Serif · Modern Sans Calm · Letterpress Caps · Poster Condensed · Script Whisper · Manuscript Italic · Asymmetric Left · Minimal Unsigned · Charcoal Sans · Gallery Frame · Soft Serif Right · Statement Serif · Night Script · Tracked Caps Unsigned

Digital product. Colours may vary slightly between screens and printers. Frames and props are not included.