This timeless folktale tells of a man and his son traveling to market with their donkey. Along the way, they keep changing how they travel—sometimes the boy rides, sometimes the father, sometimes both—because of the constant criticism from passersby.

Each person they meet has a different opinion:

• First, they’re called foolish for not riding the donkey.

• Then, the boy is shamed for letting his father walk.

• Next, the father is scolded for letting his child trudge along.

• Finally, both riding together brings ridicule for overloading the animal.

Frustrated and confused, the man and his son try to satisfy everyone by carrying the donkey on a pole. This only makes them the subject of laughter, and in the chaos, the donkey falls into the river and drowns.

The moral is clear and powerful: “Try to please everyone, and you will end up pleasing no one.”

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