Nasruddin

Missive #629 Published 2 January 2026

120. Nasruddin’s Donkey for Sale

“That wretched donkey of mine ran away again,” said Nasruddin. “If he ever comes back, I’ll sell him for a single copper coin!”
The donkey came back, and Nasruddin regretted his reckless oath.
So, he took the cat, who was the donkey’s playmate, and put the cat in the donkey’s saddlebag. Then he went to the market.
“Buy this fine donkey for just one copper coin!” Nasruddin shouted. “But you must buy the cat too; the donkey would be heartbroken without him.”
“How much for the cat?” someone asked.
“The cat will cost you one hundred silver coins,” Nasruddin replied.

Missive #622 Published 26 December 2025

119. Nasruddin Looks for Work

Nasruddin desperately needed a job. He visited every shop, every workshop, every warehouse seeking employment.
Finally, he came to the warehouse of a merchant with a shady reputation.
“Do you have any job openings?” Nasruddin asked.
“Well,” said the merchant, “I am looking for a bookkeeper. How’s your arithmetic?”
“My arithmetic is excellent!” said Nasruddin enthusiastically.
“I’ll have to give you a test first. Are you ready?”
Nasruddin nodded.
“How much is two plus two?”
Nasruddin thought for a moment and then said in a low voice, “How much do you want it to be?”
“You’re hired!” said the merchant.

Missive #617 Published 19 December 2025

118. The Poor Man in the Coffeehouse

Nasruddin saw a stranger in the coffeehouse who looked very sad.
“Is something the matter?” Nasruddin asked him.
“I used to be rich!” said the man. “I lived in a mansion, and I had many servants. But I’ve lost it all: money, mansion, servants, everything. I can barely pay for this coffee. Soon I’ll be begging on the streets. I’m sick with worry.”
“Oh, you won’t have to feel like this for long,” Nasruddin assured him.
The man looked at Nasruddin eagerly. “Do you mean I’ll get rich again?”
“No,” said Nasruddin. “I mean you’ll get used to being poor.”

Missive #612 Published 12 December 2025

117. The Proper Way to Beg

A beggar approached Nasruddin on the street.
“Please, kind sir,” he said, “could you possibly give me a coin or two?”
Nasruddin was indignant. “It’s not at all proper for a rich man such as myself to give a beggar such a paltry sum.”
The beggar bowed apologetically. “Please, kind sir, forgive my mistake,” he said. “Could you possibly give me a hundred coins?”
Nasruddin became even more indignant. “It’s not at all proper for a beggar like yourself to ask a complete stranger to give him a hundred coins!” he exclaimed.
And with that, Nasruddin continued on his way.

Missive #608 Published 5 December 2025

116. A Loan from Nasruddin

Nasruddin’s neighbor needed a loan.
“I’m desperate!” he said. “Can you possibly loan me six hundred silver coins? Then just let me have one month to pay the loan back. One month is all I need, I swear!”
“You want me to give you six hundred silver coins, then a month to pay me back,” Nasruddin repeated. “Well, I can do half.”
“Bless you! Three hundred will be a big help.”
“That’s not what I meant,” said Nasruddin. “I don’t have any money at all to loan you, but you can have a month in which to pay me back.”

Missive #600 Published 21 November 2025

114. Buying an Elephant

Nasruddin decided he was going to buy an elephant, and he knew it would be an expensive purchase. Since he didn’t have enough money, he went to his richest friend to borrow the money.
His friend, however, refused to give him the loan. “You’re not thinking clearly, Nasruddin,” he said. “Elephants are expensive to buy, and they are also expensive to keep. If you don’t have the money to buy an elephant, how will you be able to afford to house the elephant and feed it?”
“You don’t understand,” said Nasruddin angrily. “I came here for a loan, not advice.”

Missive #595 Published 14 November 2025

Nasruddin had a dream. In his dream, an angel was counting golden coins into Nasruddin’s hand, one at a time. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… finally the angel had counted out nine coins.
“If you could give me ten coins,” Nasruddin said to the angel, “I would be able to pay all my debts.”
The angel then looked at him angrily and disappeared.
Nasruddin awoke from his dream. He looked, and saw there were no golden coins in his hand.
“Come back, angel!” shouted Nasruddin. “Please come back! I’ve thought it over, and I’ll take the nine!”

Missive #592 Published 7 November 2025

112. Nasruddin and the Baker

Nasruddin owed the baker money, so when the baker saw Nasruddin on the street, he said, “Come with me!” and he led Nasruddin into the bakery.
“Look!” the baker said, pointing at the account book. “You owe me three silver coins.”
Nasruddin nodded, looking at the account book. “I see my brother-in-law owes you five,” he remarked. “I was on my way to see him just now; I’ll get him to pay also!”
“Excellent!” replied the baker.
“He owes you five, and I owe three,” Nasruddin said. “So you can give me two coins now, and that will square things.”

Missive #587 Published 31 October 2025

Nasruddin had been at the dentist all morning, and his wife wondered what was taking so long.
Finally, Nasruddin walked through the door, grinning happily, his mouth wide open.
His wife gasped in shock. “Nasruddin!” she exclaimed. “What has happened to your teeth?”
“Well, you know how much that dentist charges,” Nasruddin replied. “He wanted a gold coin to remove my bad tooth. A gold coin! It’s outrageous. So we haggled and haggled, back and forth, back and forth, and I finally persuaded him to take out four more teeth. So I got five removed for the price of one!”