Proverb Shared Courtesy of Bro Andre Dodson
Don't Argue with Donkeys
One day, a donkey said to a tiger,
“The grass is blue.”
The tiger, puzzled, replied,
“No, the grass is green.”
What started as a simple disagreement quickly turned into a heated argument. Frustrated, they agreed to take the matter to the lion—the wise and just King of the Jungle—to settle it once and for all.
As they approached the lion on his throne, the donkey rushed forward and shouted,
“Your Majesty! Isn’t it true that the grass is blue?”
The lion calmly replied,
“Yes, the grass is blue.”
Elated, the donkey continued,
“See! The tiger keeps arguing with me, disagreeing and bothering me. He should be punished!”
The lion nodded and said,
“The tiger will be punished—with five years of silence.”
The donkey, overjoyed, trotted off, still chanting,
“The grass is blue… the grass is blue…”
The tiger remained behind, stunned. He turned to the lion and asked,
“Your Majesty, why did you punish me? You know the grass is green.”
The lion looked at him and said,
“Yes, the grass is indeed green.”
Confused, the tiger asked,
“Then why did you declare otherwise? Why the punishment?”
The lion replied,
“You are not being punished for the truth. You are being punished for wasting your time. A wise and powerful creature like you should not lower himself to argue with a fool. You knew the donkey would never accept the truth, yet you brought the argument to me, disturbing the peace of the court over something so trivial.”
“The lesson is this: When ignorance makes noise, wisdom stays silent. Never waste your time on arguments with those who are not seeking truth, but only validation of their own false beliefs. Some people are not interested in learning, only in winning. Your peace is more valuable than being right.”