Every day Nasrudin went to beg for alms in the market, and people used to make fun of him by playing the following trick: they would show him two coins, one worth ten times more than the other, and Nasrudin would always choose the smaller coin.
The story went round the whole province.
Day after day, groups of men and women would show him the two coins, and Nasrudin would always choose the smaller one.
Then one day, a generous man, tired of seeing Nasrudin ridiculed in this fashion, beckoned him over to a corner of the square and said:
‘When they offer you two coins, you should choose the larger one. That way you would earn more money and people wouldn’t consider you an idiot.’
‘That sounds like good advice,’ replied Nasrudin, ‘but if I chose the larger coin, people would stop offering me money, because they like to believe that I am even more stupid than they are. You’ve no idea how much money I’ve earned using this trick.
“There’s nothing wrong with looking like a fool if, in fact, you’re being really clever.’
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Amazing!!
Really impressive story Paulo!
There was an advert here in South Africa with kids based on the exact story
Nasrudin stories are always full of surprises… this too made for a wise reading.
Awesome – the simplicity in the approach – and the brilliance about it! Thanks for sharing Paulo!
Reminded the famous Quote of Shakespeare..
“One of the greatest tactics to win is to act some time like a FOOL”
its the other way around.
Really amazing..No one can beat Mullah Nasurdin..
yes..it is true!!
algunas veces quizas actuamos como estupidos pero lo hacemos de una manera inconciente, pero quizas es la manera de como tenemos q actuar porq es la correcta, no lo se, pero creo q tampoco es la incorrecta.pero lo semejante trae a lo semejante
hahahaha, great…
YOu are a wonderful and inspirational man. You have made me wiser and wiser by the page of your books. Thanks for publishing such stories. You are the best writer.
Muy buena e inteligente forma de actuar sin ambicion desmedida…
un beso
Begging is a sign of backwardness. I wonder if the personality of Nasrudin is an indication of a certain dogma surrounding a specific ethnic background that we try to deepen?
Iliked the story, it’s a good one. Acting fool is good just in certain case, and if You start acting like that for a very long time , it can be transform in a habit. This is not very good, because, even if You are not stupid, people can think, and treat You like one.
Una persona me a tratado como una estupeda por mucho tiempo piensa que nunca me di cuenta de todo lo que hizo. Mi amor puro vencio a todas mentiras y esta persona esta sola y perdio el verdadero amor.
There’s nothing wrong with looking like a fool if, in fact, you’re being really clever
Thanks Paulo it’s real words,and I always wonder why people like to feel smarter???!!!!
Hahahaha..Cool..:)
Siempre he pensado en hacerme el tonto……así nunca insultaré al prójimo…..no has respondido a mi pregunta,te estoy esperando……un abrazo.
Ah!!las máscaras ,las máscaras, que los seres humanos tenemos que lucir en cada circunstancia de la vida para poder sobrevivir…que hasta a veces nos hacemos los tontos…gracias Paolo..yo también algunas veces me he tapado los ojos con las dos manos, y entre los dedos miraba, y aqui estoy gracias a dios sin perder mi dignidad sigo adelante.
To ‘coin’ my phrase:Whoever I’m thinks I’m a fool, let HIM be fooled.
Correction: To ‘coin’ my phrase: Whoever thinks I’m a fool, let HIM be fooled!
OooOosum stOry (^_^)
Cuando leí esta fabula hace ya cierto tiempo me encanto las tres conclusiones finales…
1 Quien parece Tonto, no siempre lo es.
2 Quienes eran en realidad los verdaderos tontos de la Historia
3 y q una ambición desmedida puede acabar cortando la fuente de ingresos…
y la mas importante Podemos estar bien, aun cuando los otros no tengan una buena opinión sobre nosotros mismos.
Por lo tanto, lo que importa no es lo que piensan de nosotros, sino lo uno piensa de si mismo.
wow a really amazing story and it has a great lesson
!!!!!jajajajajajajaja impresionante la inteligencia de nasrudin!!!todo eltiempo se estubo burlando de sus aparentes burladores jajajajajajajaja
Love this story!!! Thank you!
Liked it….((^_^))
Mula Nasredin: the wise Iranian chracter depicted here in known to us Iranians through numerous books and stories told by our grandparents… :D Good to see him here too!
:)
Love this one.. seriously amazing!
It would be cool if Coelho would have wrote it, or at least say who did it. I heard it from an Osho talk from the 1980s.
People might ask what u got after reading this..
I can only say that such small stories gives u new direction to think around..
Yo esto de parecer tonto no lo he buscado, cambio de forma de ser y en otro tiempo no tenía ciertas capacidades. Hay gente que piensa que no me entero de nada, por lo que les puedo observar sin que se percaten de ello, la verdad es que le estoy cogiendo el gusto a esto de pareder tonto porque la gente se muestra como es y puedo ver todas sus maniobras a plena luz, si supieran lo ridiculos que parecen se comportarían como personas honestas, aunque se seguiria notando que no lo son, pero bueno, es instructivo ver a la gente sin disfraz.
Hasta pronto.
Wow! Honesty is the best policy, yet when the truth is covered with tact it might be easier to swallow, be like candy eatable all the time. Nasrudin managed to trick all of them to the extent that they always offered him money unconciously and believe he wasn’t smart while in fact its all the way around. !
HEH
I know the owner of a great industry that does just that. Those who doesn’t know him thiks he’s an old fool, however he h is very cunning milionarie man
Mulla Nasrudin, a mental patient, was speaking with the new superintendent of the mental hospital. ”We like you a lot better than the last doctor,” he said.
The new superintendent was pleased to hear this lovely remark from Mulla and he asked ”Why you feel this liking for me”
“It is all because some how you just seem to be one of us” repiled Nasrudin.
This is a very good story to note, especially for a person with ego.We may show our cleverness by being foolish and not arguing.
“There’s nothing wrong with looking like a fool if, in fact, you’re being really clever.”
My Godness, this was the sentence I was looking for, for such a long time!!!
Thanks!
What can i say… Totality true…
hi… this article have inspired me, so i will work harder than before. the trick is a clever one i think.
Really Impressive Story Dearest the Paulo
Why choose the name Nasrudin, why choose the word pariah in Interlok? The reason is the same. When you point at others 4 fingers point at yourself.
I’ve heard this before….
what good comment, thanks Paulo to share us such a nice story. But it is true, when i appear as an idiot I gain many friends, but if I appear as a smart people i can’t gain many friends
No hay nada mas peligroso que subestimar a otra persona………
Well its true but it needs a lot of guts and self confidence to let others laugh at u …………..or be like the beggar who had nothing to loose………..he has no respect as a beggar so what is there to loose?!!
Your story reminds me of This saying; ” When talk is about silver, silence is golden.”
There are people who aren’t afraid to seem ridiculous. Getting acquainted with the book “Revelation of angels”, has understood that the Lord likes those who entertained much, amused people: Duma, Chaplin and мн. Other “it is less than Fools, than think: people simply don’t understand each other”.
…that would not happend if he just hear at the voice
hmm yes
Thank you Paulo, your blogs make my day.
I recognize this. For years (since 1993) I make it within our corporate restructuring. I’m sometimes mocked for everything that I had to do with me. I had to work, my daughter graduated, was a single mother, and also had a mortgage. My slogan was: “No one takes me my job.”
Although much discrimination (‘m from South America and living in the Netherlands for moren thant 40 years) but I had to got through. Had to travel for my work hours from one city to another for hours long. Will there at least on down, and I found out that white people think that I am incredibly stupid. They can do whatever they want with me.
But I had a good plan.
And now I sit at home while maintaining my salary and I am 60 years old. They will work until their 67th year. Now our pensions are smelted, (term they use here for the money that disappears, (greedy grabbers mentality) I am much better than many others.
Therefore recognizable.
no es mas rico el que mas gasta ,sino el que puede vivr con menos . muy buena la historia . me da la impresion de que la gente rica da por placer y no por un deber moral con sus semejantes .
Never under estimate anyone!! even an ant!!
creo que Nasrudin actua de manera realmente sabia ! y el ser humano que siempre prejuzja situaciones y opina cuando nadie le pregunta, ese, realmente es el tonto !
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