A man walks into a tavern and sees an elephant sitting at the bar with a large bowl of cash placed in front of him. He walks up to the bar and the bartender explains "The first person who can make the elephant laugh will win the $10,000 in the jar. "The man casually walks up to the elephant and whispers something into his ear. All of the sudden, the elephant starts laughing hysterically with his ears flapping and his trunk bouncing up and down on the bar knocking over drink glasses. "I don't know what you whispered," said the bartender, "but here is your $10,000."

A few weeks later, the same man entered the tavern and again saw the elephant at the bar, only this time with a bowl of $20,000 in front of him. The bartender came up to him and said, "Last time you were able to make him laugh, but I doubt you can win this prize by making him cry." The man then walked over to the elephant and stood directly in front of him so they were barely a few inches apart. The elephant immediately started bawling, crying uncontrollably with his giant tears filling nearby beer mugs.

The bartender gave the man his $20,000 prize but asked him. "What on earth did you say to make the elephant first laugh and then cry?" "The first time", said the man, "I told him that mine was bigger than his". The second time, "he continued the argument and I showed him mine.