Bottom Line (Paperback)

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.
I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent (মহৎ) animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. 'Well,' he said, 'when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and at that age, it's enough to hold them.
As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe that they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.'