A poor man lives in a small, one room cottage with his wife. It is raining hard and the night is becoming darker, and somebody knocks on the door. The man says to the wife, “You are close to the door, please open it – some guest.”

The wife is reluctant. She says, “There is not space enough. Only two persons can hardly sleep! Where is the third, a stranger, going to sleep?”

The husband said, “Don’t call him a stranger. When he has knocked on our door, he is a guest. Open the door and I will show you how we can manage. If two can sleep well, three can sit – but the guest cannot be turned back on such a night.”

The door is opened. The man comes in. They are all sitting talking – because there is no space to sleep – and again, another knock. And the owner of the house says to the man who is now near the door, “Open the door. Some other guest has come. The night is really terrible.”

Even this man, who has just come inside, is angry at the owner. He says, “What are you saying? There is hardly any space. Where are you going to put the man?”

The owner says, “If I had listened to this argument before, you would not be inside. And you are only a guest, so don’t try to argue with me; simply open the door. Another guest has come. We are sitting at ease; if a fourth person comes, we will be sitting a little more closely, more tight and it will be really good. It is getting cold, and to sit tightly, closely, will be warmer. And who knows what beautiful stories the new guest is going to bring? – the whole night we have to sit.”

Finally the door is opened. Another man comes in; now they are sitting so tightly. And then suddenly a donkey comes to the door and hits the door with his feet. They are all puzzled: Who is outside? The owner says, “There must be another guest. Open the door.”

The last man is sitting now near the door. He says, “This is simply stupidity! We are sitting so tightly – we cannot manage to have another one here.”

The man says, “I am the owner. No guest can go away from this small house. We are sitting; if somebody comes in, we all will be standing – then there will be space.”

They all think this man is crazy. They open the door and a donkey comes in. The strangers want to throw him out, but the owner says, “No. It is not a question of man or donkey. It is a question of a terrible rain, a dark night, and the poor fellow – where will he go? He can stand just in the middle of us and we will gossip. What harm can he do? And you have forgotten the old saying, ‘The emperor’s palace, although very big, has no space because his heart is very small. The poor man’s hut is very small but has enormous space because his heart is enormous.’”