A man who had been in a mental home for some years finally seemed to have improved to the point where he could be released.
The head of the institution decided to interview him first. "Tell me," said the head doctor, "if we release you, what do you intend to do with your life?'
The man said, "I will certainly refrain from making my former mistake. I was a nuclear physicist, you know, and it was the stress of my work in weapons research that helped put me here. If I am released, I shall confine myself to work in pure theory, which will be less difficult and stressful."
"Marvelous," said the head of the institution.
"Or else," ruminated the patient. "I might teach. There is something to be said for spending one's life bringing up a new generation of scientists."
"Absolutely," said the head.
"Then again, I might write. There is a considerable need for books on science for the general public. Or I might even write a novel based on my experiences."
"An interesting possibility," said the head doctor.
"And finally, if none of these things appeals to me, I can always continue to be a teapot."
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