Nasrudin used to sit in his favorite outdoor cafe, always at the same seat. One day an urchin appeared, ran up to nasrudin, knocked his hat off and run away. Nasrudin got up, picked up his hat, dusted it and sat down again at his place.

It happened again the next day, and then again.

The patrons were upset, and some offered Nasrudin to catch the impudent brat and teach him a lesson, but Nasrudin kept his cool, saying that it doesn't work this way.

The boy, encouraged by Nasrudin's inaction, kept knocking his hat off.

One day Nasrudin was approaching the cafe with a friend, one of those who tried to convince him to punish the brat, when the boy appeared. The usual place of Nasrudin was occupied by a fearsome-looking king's soldier. Out of habit, the boy ran up to him and knocked his hat off...

Without a word the soldier drew out his sword and chopped the boy's head off, then picked up the hat and resumed his seat. Nasrudin turned to his friend and said: "Now do you see what I mean?"