Nasruddin was walking down the street when a beggar accosted him.
"I know you," said Nasruddin. "You like drinking coffee in the coffeehouse, don't you?
The beggar nodded. "Yes, I do."
"And the bathhouse? And drinking with your friends?"
The beggar kept nodding, and Nasruddin gave him a gold coin.
Nasruddin met a second beggar; he had overheard the first conversation.
"What about you?" asked Nasruddin. "The coffeehouse?"
"Never!" said the beggar.
"Bathhouse? Drinking?"
The beggar shook his head emphatically, and Nasruddin gave him a copper coin.
"I don't understand!" complained the beggar.
"Your needs are fewer," replied Nasruddin, smiling.
Inspired by: The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on page 6 of the book.
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