ANOTHER AESOP'S FABLE

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Fable:

The Ass & His Driver

An Ass was being driven along a road leading down the mountain side, when he suddenly took it into his silly head to choose his own path. He could see his stall at the foot of the mountain, and to him the quickest way down seemed to be over the edge of the nearest cliff. Just as he was about to leap over, his master caught him by the tail and tried to pull him back, but the stubborn Ass would not yield and pulled with all his might.

"Very well," said his master, "go your way, you willful beast, and see where it leads you."

With that he let go, and the foolish Ass tumbled head over heels down the mountain side.

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Moral:

They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune.

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Alternative morals:

You can’t always stop a fool.

There are none so deaf as those who will not listen.

They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune.

You will never be able to make someone understand or accept something if they are too stubborn or unwilling to learn or notice.

Just as it is no use trying to get a person to see what he does not wish to see, so is it useless to persuade a person to hear what he does not wish to hear.

People who choose to ignore or dismiss information, opinions, or facts are often the most obstinate or resistant to understanding. It suggests that willful ignorance can be more profound than physical inability to hear.

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A practical example:

Despite my repeated and best advice that the course my client wanted to pursue was foolhardy, had a high probability of failure and would end up costing him a lot of money, he wanted to do it anyway.

Finally I said “Okay. I am too old and too tired to try to convince stupid people to do what is best for themselves. We will do what you want.”

At that point the penny dropped and he said “No, wait, let’s go with what you have suggested.”

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