In a famous passage of Mark Twain’s novel Tom Sawyer, Tom is faced
with the unenviable job of whitewashing his aunt’s fence in full view of his friends
who will pass by shortly and whose snickering promises to add insult to injury.
When his friends do show up, Tom applies himself to the paintbrush with gusto,
presenting the tedious chore as a rare opportunity. Tom’s friends wind up not only
paying for the privilege of taking their turn at the fence, but deriving real pleasure
from the task—a win–win outcome if there ever was one. In Twain’s words, Tom
“had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in
order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing
difficult to attain.”
via:DUKE
with the unenviable job of whitewashing his aunt’s fence in full view of his friends
who will pass by shortly and whose snickering promises to add insult to injury.
When his friends do show up, Tom applies himself to the paintbrush with gusto,
presenting the tedious chore as a rare opportunity. Tom’s friends wind up not only
paying for the privilege of taking their turn at the fence, but deriving real pleasure
from the task—a win–win outcome if there ever was one. In Twain’s words, Tom
“had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in
order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing
difficult to attain.”
via:DUKE
