The Miller, His Son, and the Donkey

An old miller and his young son were driving their donkey to market to sell it. As they walked beside the animal, they passed a group of villagers who laughed aloud. 'Look at those fools,' one cried. 'Why walk when they have a perfectly good donkey to ride?'

The miller, wanting to be agreeable, hoisted his son onto the donkey's back. Soon, they met a group of elders. 'Shame on that lazy boy!' they grumbled. 'He rides while his poor, elderly father walks on foot.' Feeling guilty, the son climbed down and insisted his father take his place.

Before long, they encountered a crowd of women. 'Poor child!' they exclaimed. 'How heartless that the father rides while the boy must trudge through the dust!' The miller, eager to avoid further criticism, pulled his son up behind him. They were barely a mile further when a traveler stopped them. 'Are you not ashamed of overloading that poor beast?' he demanded. 'Two grown men crushing a small donkey! You should be carrying the animal yourselves!'

The miller, now desperate to please everyone, grabbed a pole and some rope. They tied the donkey’s legs together and hoisted the beast onto their shoulders. As they crossed a bridge, the donkey began to struggle, frightened by the swaying motion. He kicked, snapped the ropes, and tumbled over the side of the bridge into the deep river. The poor animal drowned, and the miller and his son were forced to walk home empty-handed.

They realized too late that by trying to satisfy every passerby, they had lost their donkey entirely. The miller understood that while it is good to listen to advice, a man must ultimately follow his own judgment, for it is impossible to satisfy everyone.