It was once announced that the devil was going out of business and would offer his tools for sale, to whoever would pay the price.
On the night of the sale, they were all attractively displayed, even so they were a bad lot.
Malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, sensuality - and all the otherimplements of evil were spread each marked with a price. Apart from the rest lay a harmless wedge-shaped tool much word and priced higher than any of the others.
Someone asked the devil, "What is that?"
"That is Discouragement" replied the Devil.
"Why do you have priced it so high?" the prospective purchaser inquired
"Because," said the devil, "it is more useful to me than any of the others. I can pry into a man's conscience with that when I cannot get near him with any other tool I possess."
"Once I get into his mind with Discouragement, I can use him in whatever way which suits him best. The reason this tool is so much worn is that I can use it with nearly everyone, as very few people knew it belongs to me."
It hardly needs to be added that the devil's price for Discouragement was so high that it never sold.
He still owns it, and uses it.
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