An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town.  The boy rode on the
donkey, and the old man walked.  As they went along, they passed some
people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy
was riding.  The old man and the boy thought that maybe the critics were
right, so they changed places.

Later, they passed some more people that remarked, "What a shame he
makes that little boy walk."  They then decided they both would walk.

Soon they passed  some more people who thought they were stupid to walk
when they had a decent donkey to ride.  So, they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some more people that shamed them by saying how awful to
see such a load on a poor donkey.  The boy and the man said they were
probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey.  As they crossed a
bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the
river and drowned.  The moral of the story?

If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass good-bye.