The main engine of a giant cruise ship failed while at sea. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. The passengers grew more nervous with each passing hour. Finally, they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a yeoman in the Navy. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine ran as smooth as the day it was made.

A week later, the ship owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"

So they wrote the old man a note requesting he please send an itemized bill.

The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer....................... $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap................. ......... $ 9,998.00

Moral of the story--Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference.

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