因为在神没有一件事是不可能的

I heard this phrase the other day and it struck quite a chord with me.

Before I went to Korea I was in the market looking for a small bag to pack my things in. I'm no idiot, everyone at the market will try to cheat everybody else. Myself being white, I will have people try to cheat me even more.

I find a bag I like. It's cheaply made, an obvious knockoff of a real bag, but it'd do the job. I ask how much it is.

Shop Girl: "I usually sell that bag for 300RMB but for you 250RMB (about 36US)."
(Ok, the bag's not that nice.)
Me: "I'll give you 100 (around 15US), no more."
SG: "No, that's impossible. I buy the bag for more than that."
(I lose my patience really easily when people lie to me.)
Me: "No you don't, I know you're trying to charge me more because I'm a foreigner. I've lived here long enough to know better."
SG: "Alright, but 150 is as low as I can go."
(Then this really sweet Chinese girl came into the shop looking at purses and listening to us argue. She wondered over and started taking my side.)
Chinese Girl: "He knows what he's talking about, that bag is only worth about 100."
(Then the shop girl got really angry that another Chinese called her on it. In my experience Chinese will cheat anyone, but when they're caught by other Chinese they lose face and have to back pedal pretty fast.)
SG: "OK, OK, 100."

After I bought the bag I talked to the Chinese girl for a while. Really sweet University student studying business or something. She said she hates it when people cheat each other. She said that everyone is the same and there is no need to cheat someone else just for an extra buck.

I haven't heard one person say that out here. For someone to admit to a foreigner that we're all the same is huge to me. Now it may be because Yantai is a fairly new city and was completely uneducated and just a farming community until fifteen or so years ago. No matter the reason, it's huge for someone in Yantai to say that to me.

She pointed out that most of the people who will cheat others are the ones who are selling things in little stalls on the street, not the people running big businesses. She had a vary karmic approach to the situation. Essentially she was saying that if you cheat people out of small money, you will cheat yourself out of big money.

Later that night I heard this phrase: Penny wise, nickel dumb.