On a hot summer day, a young man had to make a long journey. He hired an ass for the purpose. He was riding on it. At midday, the sun became very hot. The scorching heat of the sun was unbearable to him. He thought he might faint. So he got down and took rest in its shadow. Then the driver of the ass disputed the place with him. He declared that he had an equal right to it with the other.
‘What! exclaimed the youth. “Didn’t I hire the ass for the whole journey?” he asked. “Yes, of course, you did,” replied the driver, “you hired the ass, but you did not hire its shadow.” They started quarrelling over the shadow for quite some time. The ass, in the meantime, felt the scorching heat intolerable and took to its heels and ran away.
Moral: Quarrel sometimes leads to loss, not gain.