A tricky fellow will always remain a tricky fellow

There was once a very tricky fellow. He tried to fool everybody, but sometimes he was caught and exposed. He used to tell people, “I do not mean what I say and I do not say what I mean.” That was his line of defence.

As time went on, this fellow began to lose his mind. He would constantly forget important things and do stupid things. This disturbed him greatly, so he went to consult a doctor about his condition.

He said to the doctor, “Doctor, I am so alarmed. Something is wrong with my brain! I am in serious trouble, because I do not know what I am saying. When I say something, I do not mean it; and when I mean to say something, I forget what I am about to say. Can you cure me, doctor? I promise you that once I am cured, I will give you thousands and thousands of rupees.”

So the doctor began treating this fellow and, in the course of time, he fully regained his memory. The doctor said to him, “You do not have to return for any more treatments. You are completely cured. Now kindly pay me the large sum of money that you promised.”

The patient simply shrugged his shoulders. “I told you before you began treating me that when I say something, I do not mean it! I told you this long ago, and today I am most seriously telling you the same thing once more: I did not mean what I said.” And he left the doctor’s clinic without parting with a single rupee.

There are people on earth who will take help from you, but their meanness, their roguishness, they will never give up. To the very last, they will remain unkind and cruel. They may fool you for some time, but sooner or later you will come to realise their tricky nature.