The Two Goats on the Bridge

An old, narrow wooden bridge stretched across a rushing clear stream in the middle of a valley. One day, a white goat stepped onto the bridge from the left bank at the very same moment a brown goat stepped on from the right.

The two goats met right in the middle of the bridge, which was much too narrow for them to pass each other. "Back up," said the white goat. "I got here first." "No way," replied the brown goat. "You're the one who should back up."

Neither goat would give an inch, and soon they began butting heads gently, refusing to budge. The wooden bridge started to wobble and tilt beneath them, with the rushing water swirling below.

Suddenly the bridge tilted so sharply that both goats nearly lost their footing and tumbled into the water. Startled, they froze at once and stared at each other in fear.

The white goat took a deep breath and said, "If we keep this up, we'll both fall in for sure." It slowly knelt down flat against the bridge, letting the brown goat step safely over it. Together, the two goats crossed the bridge without either one getting hurt.

Sometimes giving a little is better than being so stubborn that both sides end up losing.