In The Devil and Miss Prym, a novel by Paulo Coelho, the character, Berta, tells this story to the protagonist, Chantal:

"I keep thinking about Ahab, our great hero and reformer, the man who was blessed by St. Savin."

"Why Ahab?"

"Because he could see that even the most insignificant of actions, however well intentioned, can destroy everything. They say that after he had brought peace to the village, driven away the remaining outlaws, and modernized agriculture and trade in Viscos, he invited his friends to supper and cooked a succulent piece of meat for them. Suddenly he realized there was no salt.

"So Ahab called to his son: 'Go to the village and buy some salt, but pay a fair price for it: neither too much nor too little.'

"His son was surprised: 'I can understand why I shouldn't pay too much for it, Father, but if I can bargain them down, why not pay a bit less?'

" 'That would be the sensible thing to do in a big city, but in a small village like ours it could spell the beginning of the end.'

"The boy left without asking any further questions. However, Ahab's guests, who had overheard their conversation, wanted to know why they should not buy the salt more cheaply if they could. Ahab replied:

" 'The only reason anyone would sell salt more cheaply than usual would be because he was desperate for money. And anyone who took advantage of that situation would be showing a lack of respect for the sweat and struggle of the man who labored to produce it.'

" 'But such a small thing couldn't possibly destroy a village.'

" 'In the beginning, there was only a small amount of injustice abroad in the work, but everyone who came afterwards added their portion, always thinking it was very small and unimportant, and look where we have ended up today.' " (48-49)