“A thief was captured and hauled before the local ruler. ‘Give me one good reason I shouldn’t have you put to death,’ the monarch said. The thief replied, ‘Your majesty, I can teach your finest horse to sing – if you give me a year to do it!’ The court burst out in laughter at this, and the ruler, bemused, said, ‘Very well. You will be imprisoned in the royal stable besides my finest stallion, and in a year if he cannot sing, you will be put to death.’ So every day the prisoner sang to the horse. Eventually one of the stablehands sneered at the prisoner, ‘I don’t see why you bother. Everyone knows horses can’t sing. Your stupid gambit gained you nothing.’
‘To the contrary!’ replied the prisoner with equanimity, ‘It gained me a whole year which I didn’t have before. A lot can happen in a year. The king may die. The horse may die. I may die.
And maybe he horse will learn to sing.'”
h/t Siderea.
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