It happened once upon a time that Nasruddin’s donkey wandered off, and he could not find it anywhere. Angry, he said to his wife, “That beast is unmanageable! I swear, if I do find it, I will sell in the market for a penny!”

The next day, he found his donkey not far from his gate, and dragged it home again. But his wife said, “You swore you would sell the donkey. You aren’t going to break your word, are you? To break an oath is a sin.”

Nasruddin thought for a moment. Then he picked up the cat, tied a string around the cat’s neck, tied the other end around the neck of the donkey, and took the two creatures to the market.

“Who will buy a donkey for a penny?” he called. “A donkey for a penny, and a cat for a thousand – I sell them only as a pair!”