' Stinginess '...

One day Mulla Nasruddin saw a crowd gathered around a pond. A Muslim
priest with a huge turban on his head had fallen in the water and was
calling for help. People were leaning over and saying, "Give me your
hand, Reverend! Give me your hand!" But the priest didn't pay
attention to their offer to rescue him; he kept wrestling with the
water and shouting for help.

Finally the Mulla stepped forward. "Let me handle this." He
stretched out his hand toward the priest and shouted at him, "Take my
hand!"

The priest grabbed the Mulla's hand and was hoisted out of the
pond. People, very surprised, asked the Mulla for the secret of his
strategy.

"It is very simple," he replied, "I knew this miser wouldn't give
anything to anyone. So instead of saying, 'Give me your hand,' I
said, 'Take my hand,' and sure enough he took it."



Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
as collected by James Fadiman & Robert Frager