A merchant had a donkey. Every week the two of them walked to market together, and the donkey carried heavy bags of salt on his back.
One day the road crossed a river. The donkey slipped on a wet stone and fell into the water. He stood up again quickly, and his load felt much lighter, because the water had melted some of the salt.
The donkey was very pleased with himself. The next week, at the same river, he lay down in the water on purpose. Again the salt melted, and again his load was light.
The merchant said nothing, but he had seen everything. The week after, he filled the bags with sponges instead of salt. At the river the donkey lay down as before. The sponges drank the water and grew heavier and heavier, and the poor donkey could hardly stand up again.
Moral: The same trick does not work twice.
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