Nasruddin Meets the Governor

After a long journey, Nasruddin returned from the big city to his hometown. He looked like some kind of conquering hero, riding proudly on his donkey.
The people all gathered around. "Tell us about your visit to the big city, Nasruddin!" they said.
"Well," replied Nasruddin, as he grinned happily at everyone in the crowd, "the governor himself spoke to me!"
"Oooh!" said some people in the crowd. "Ahhhh!" said others.
"And what exactly did he say to you?" asked Nasruddin's wife.
"He said: 'Get out of my way, you idiot!' Those were the words the governor spoke to me."

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Inspired by: Mulla's Donkey and Other Friends by Mehdi Nakosteen, p. 49.
Notes: This story also appears in The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.

I included this book in Tiny Tales of Nasruddin, where it is story 171.