Demosthenes was once giving a speech before the Athenian assembly, but his opposition was booing and hissing to drown him out. He suddenly stopped and when the crowd quieted down, he asked them if they wanted to hear a story. Once upon a time, there was a man who needed to rent a donkey to go to another town. The donkey’s owner insisted on going along for the ride. Halfway there, it had gotten so hot that they decided to take a break. The man and the donkey owner both wanted to lay down in the shadow of the donkey, but there was not enough room for both. The owner argued the shadow was his because the donkey was his. The man argued the donkey’s shadow came with the rental of the donkey. At this point, Demosthenes walked away from the podium. The crowd became upset and demanded he finish the story. Demosthenes responded: “So you care more about the shadow of an ass than you do about important business?” The crowd listened quietly to the rest of Demosthenes’ speech.
– Fuller 140-141
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