A Story

A young man, worn down by a difficult wife, went to an old man and complained, saying: I carry such a heavy load from this overpowering foe that I feel like the bottom stone of a mill. The old man replied: Sir, set your heart to hardship; no one is ever ashamed for having been patient. You who let your house burn: if by night you are the upper millstone, why not be the lower stone by day? Since you have enjoyed the pleasure of a rosebush, it is only fair that you bear the burden of its thorns. A tree whose fruit you keep eating: be patient when its thorns prick you too.