Nasruddin was working in his room one day when a neighbor ran in and said, “If one man’s cow kills another’s, is the owner of the first cow responsible?” “It depends,” answered Nasruddin. “Well,” said the man, “your cow has killed mine.” “Oh,” answered Nasruddin. “Everyone knows that a cow cannot think like a human, so a cow is not responsible, and that means that its owner is not responsible either.” “I’m sorry, Judge,” said the man. “I made a mistake. I meant that my cow killed yours.”

Judge Nasruddin thought for a few seconds and then said, “When I think about it more carefully, this case is not as easy as I thought at first.” And then he turned to his clerk and said, “Please bring me that big black book from the shelf behind you…”