The Jackal at the Ram-Fight

While resting by a roadside, a wandering holy man witnessed two rams locked in a furious ritual duel, repeatedly drawing apart and crashing their heads together until blood flowed freely from their wounds.

A hungry jackal, drawn by the smell of blood, positioned himself directly between the two rams to lap up what spilled during their clashes -- a bold and greedy strategy that worked on the first pass, since the rams had briefly separated before their next charge.

Emboldened by his success and still greedy for more, the jackal returned to the same spot for a second helping, timing his approach poorly. This time the two rams charged at exactly the same moment he was between them, and their combined blow crushed him instantly.

The holy man, watching the whole sequence unfold, recognized the jackal's fate as a vivid illustration of what happens when greed pushes someone to repeat a dangerous gamble simply because it worked once, without appreciating how much luck, not skill, kept the first attempt from disaster.