Free lunches don’t come cheap. Charles Petzold
Ideally speaking it would be nice, once in a while, to be the beneficiary of a “free lunch”. But more often than not a “free” lunch proves to be more costly than a purchased meal.
Because let’s face it, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” Soon or later, one way or the other, you will have to cough up for your “free” lunch.
Don Corleone: “Someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me.”
Naturellement! What did you expect?
A free lunch offer is like bait. Enticing, tempting, easy to get, but with strings attached. Why do you think lobbyists ply you with such nice perks? Because they love you?
“Love is like a taxi fare, the further you go, the more dearly you will pay.”
Every action has a consequence just as every Yin has a Yang. A free lunch indebts you to your “benefactor”. And interest could be more costly than expected.
The best gifts are intangible…
The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy. Meryl Streep
A hug might be more soothing than a fruitcake, or a piece of jewelry.
This does not mean that you should systematically refuse every lunch invitation. An invitation from a long-time friend is definitely more genuine that an invite from your local politico during elections time.
Always beware of the word “free”. It is a four-letter word. It is a lure, a decoy, a thing intended to tempt or entice you. When you hear that dirty word, turn around and run!
A free kiss is acceptable, as long as it is not binding. But beware; there nothing is more expensive than a free kiss from an alluring woman.
Genuine free hugs from you know whom!
Alain
Great to see Pascal Gravier!