An old man, a boy, and a donkey were traveling to town. Initially, the boy rode the donkey while the old man walked. They passed some people who criticized this, saying it was a shame for the old man to walk.
The man and boy, thinking the critics might be right, swapped places. Soon, others criticized them, saying it was a shame for the man to make the small boy walk.
So, they both decided to walk. Then, they met more people who thought it was foolish to walk when they had a donkey to ride. Convinced again, they both rode the donkey.
Later, another group criticized them for overloading the poor animal. In an attempt to please everyone, the old man and the boy decided to carry the donkey.
As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip, and the donkey fell into the river and drowned.
The moral of the story is: If you try to please everyone, you will eventually lose your ass.