A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a frog to carry him on his back across a river.
"Are you mad?" exclaimed the frog. "You'll sting me while I'm swimming and I'll drown."
"My dear frog," laughed the scorpion, "If I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?"
"You're right!" cried the frog, satisfied at this answer. "Hop on!"
The scorpion climed aboard and halfway across the river, stung the frog. As they both sank to the bottom, the frog resignedly said, "Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there'd be no logic in your stinging me. Now we'll both die. Why did you do it?"
"It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion said sadly. "I can't help it. It's my nature."
[Not so anonymous text]
"Are you mad?" exclaimed the frog. "You'll sting me while I'm swimming and I'll drown."
"My dear frog," laughed the scorpion, "If I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?"
"You're right!" cried the frog, satisfied at this answer. "Hop on!"
The scorpion climed aboard and halfway across the river, stung the frog. As they both sank to the bottom, the frog resignedly said, "Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there'd be no logic in your stinging me. Now we'll both die. Why did you do it?"
"It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion said sadly. "I can't help it. It's my nature."