One day the ruler of the country called Molla Nasreddin and ordered him:
- Molla, go and make me a list of all the fools in our region.
The ruler secretly hoped that Molla would add himself to the list. “Then let him just try to teach me! He’ll say something to me, and I’ll tell him: Molla, list!” - the ruler dreamed. The next day Molla came with a list. The ruler looked at him and was stunned: his name was in first place!
- How dare you mock me?! Yes I...
“Wait, don’t get angry ahead of time,” Molla said. “Tell me, weren’t you the one who received a merchant from India here last week?”
- I.
- Did you know him before?
- No, we met him for the first time.
“And you gave him ten thousand in gold so that he could bring you precious stones from India?”
- Yes, but what’s wrong with that?
“So you’re saying that it’s not stupid to give that amount of money to the first person you meet and ask him to come back here with the precious stones?”
- And what? But what if he returns? - the ruler cried out in the heat of the moment.
“Well, then I’ll cross your name off the list and write it in your place.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru