A giant ship engine failed. The ship’s owners tried consulting the experts one after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. Then they bought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was young. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine carefully, from top to bottom.Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After examining, the old man reached with his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully puts his hammer away. The engine was fixed!! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for $10000.
“What!”, the owner exclaimed. “He hardly did anything.” So they wrote the old man, a note saying, “please send us an itemized bill.”
(And guess what the breakup was???)
The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer - Rs.2.00
Knowing where to tap - Rs.9998.00
“Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your lives makes all the difference.”