Episode:
Improbable Cause
Deep Space 9
Season 3, Episode #20
Original air date: April 24, 1995
Bashir: Do you know the story of the boy who cried wolf?
Garak: No.
Bashir: It's a children's story about a young shepherd boy who gets lonely while tending his flock. So he cries out to the villagers that a wolf is attacking the sheep. The people come running, but of course, there's no wolf. He claims that it's run away, and the villagers praise him for his vigilance.
Garak: Clever lad! A charming story.
Bashir: I'm not finished. The next day the boy does it again, and the next day, too. On the fourth day, a wolf really comes. The boy cries out at the top of his lungs, but the villagers ignore him... and the boy and his flock are gobbled up.
Garak: That's a little graphic for children, don't you think?
Bashir: But the point is that if you lie all the time, no one will believe you even if you're telling the truth.
Garak: Are you sure that's the point, Doctor?
Bashir: Of course, what else would it be?
Garak: That you should never tell the same lie twice.
