h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

give the man a fishing pole and he will catch so many fish that he will run out of fish and then while he is starving will curse the day he found the fishing pole. Or so polute the water that the all the fish die, Or make cheaper fishing poles and put your fishing pole venture out of business or beat the**** out of you with it, or...

and I'm an optimist!

Ah, well. I've always been a lobster man myself. So maybe I should have written:

Why give a man a lobster, which would feed him for a day? When you can give him a lobster trap, and teach him how to trap, which would feed him...for a lifetime.

At least the quote wouldn't be ripped off anymore.

And maybe the whole point is not to help out fellow humans, but rather to keep them busy. So, I don't mind if they're fishing, trapping, or drinking at the pub. As long as they're not bringing war to my doorstep.

Ariston

I guess people will be ungrateful no matter what you do for them. Or they will twist that help into biting the hand that feeds them.

So whatever help we give do it not for the gratitude but for some other reason.