As I’ve often mentioned, I love paradoxes, koans, parables, proverbs, Secrets of Adulthood, and teaching stories of all kinds.

One very satisfying kind of teaching story is a joke. Some jokes have a moral teaching, just like a fable from Aesop or a parable from the Bible, even if that lesson is implied, not stated.

For instance, you may know the joke about the two hikers who encounter a bear. The punchline is: ““I don’t have to outrun the bear—I just have to outrun you!” (Here’s my discussion of that teaching joke on a previous episode of A Little Happier.)

One of my favorite teaching jokes comes from the world of lawyers. I started my career in law, and my father is a lawyer, so it’s understandable why I have a special fondness for the proverbs and teaching stories of the legal profession. But while usually I’ve heard this joke invoked by lawyers, it applies to many other areas—in work and in life.

The joke is: “Making partner in a law firm is like winning a pie-eating contest, and learning that the prize is…more pie.”

This joke captures the idea that sometimes the reward for success is simply more of the same hard work that got you there. You think you’re reaching the finish line and earning a reward, but instead you find yourself facing an even bigger helping of the same challenge. You work so hard to make partner in a law firm, but once you make partner, you have more work—plus more responsibility.

I remember being pregnant, and dealing with all the errands, appointments, and discomforts that came along with pregnancy. I kept looking forward to my due date, and then remembering to remind myself, “Wait, it’s not like life is suddenly going to get easier, and this experience will be over. It’s going to get much bigger and much more challenging!”

A friend who never exercised decided he needed to get in shape. He’s very competitive, so he decided he wanted to run a marathon. He got very enthusiastic about this goal, trained hard, and ran the marathon. When I saw him soon afterward, I congratulated him, and asked how he felt. He said, “Not the way I expected, to be honest. I was so happy to run the marathon, but now I’m realizing that if my real goal is to get fit and stay that way, the marathon is over but the exercise isn’t. I’m going to be working out for the rest of my life.”

Running the marathon is like winning a pie-eating contest, and learning that the prize is more pie.

Sometimes a short joke can sum up a big idea.