Nasreddin Salt And Wool

tale:nasreddin_salt_and_wool

The Hodja's donkey, laden with salt, lies down in the river and rises lighter as the salt dissolves, and the Hodja scolds its cunning. Next day he loads it with wool; the beast lies down again, the wool soaks heavy, and it staggers up under double the weight. Moral: a trick that worked once will betray the one who repeats it without thought. — Nasreddin Hodja