“Why do you steal, you rascal? Why don't you look for some honest work?"
"Because, sir, I am hungry. Any work that will permit me to feed myself is honest enough for me.”

Dead End (or Impasse, 1938), as quoted in Understanding Vietnam by Neil L. Jamieson (University of California Press, 1995), p. 159

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Nguyễn Công Hoan photo
Nguyễn Công Hoan 2
1903–1977

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Variant translations:
When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why are they poor, they call me a Communist.
When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.
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