It happened that Mulla Nasruddin used to have a ferryboat, and when times were not good he would carry passengers from one bank to the other.
One day a great schlor, a grammarian, a pundit, was crossing in his ferryboat to the other shore. The pundit asked Nasruddin, "Do you know the Koran? Have you learned the scriptures?"
Nasruddin said, "No, no time."
The scholar said, "Half your life has been wasted."
Then suddenly there arose a storm and the small boat was far from the shore. At any moment it would sink. Asked Nasruddin, "School master, do you know how to swim?"
The man was very afraid, perspiring. He said, "No."
Said Nasruddin, "Then your whole life has been wasted. I am going!"
