One famous strike of scimitar

Wisdom consists (among other things) in constantly fitting your ends to your means. This reminds me of a story:

At the coffee-house, everybody was bragging of their military exploits. “And you?” asked one turning to Nasreddin.

“I? One day, on the battlefield, I cut an enemy’s leg with one single strike of scimitar.”

“Why not the head, as other people do?”

“That was impossible. Someone else had already cut the head.”