A king had three sons whom he loved equally. Unable to decide who should succeed him, he called them to his deathbed and declared, "Whichever of you is the laziest shall inherit the kingdom."
The eldest said, "Father, the kingdom is mine. I am so idle that if a drop fell into my eye while I rested, I would not open it to continue sleeping."
The second said, "Father, the kingdom belongs to me. I am so idle that while warming myself by the fire, I would rather let my heel burn than draw back my leg."
The third said, "Father, the kingdom is mine. I am so idle that if I were about to be hanged with the rope around my neck, and someone put a sharp knife in my hand to cut it, I would rather be hanged than lift my hand to the rope."
Hearing this, the king said, "You have carried idleness the farthest. You shall be king."