Lending Things

I've learned over many years of living in Korea that you should never lend anything to anyone here.  The reason being, when you "lend" something, the other person will actually take it to mean you gave it to them.

Many years ago, I had a brand new horn bow, which was unused.  A close friend of mine at my archery club broke his horn bow just before a provincial competition (horn bow only competition).  I wasn't using my new bow, so I let him use it.  What I didn't know, because I never checked, was that he continued using the bow, even after the competition.  I only found out about it when, one day, I was told that the bow finally broke after being worn out.  My wife said it would be rude to ask to have the bow replaced, so I never did.

Also, many years ago, a friend of mine gave me a Turkish bow.  A bowyer here saw it and was interested in recreating it, so I unwisely lent it to him.  I have not seen it since and, whenever I asked about it, he avoided giving me a direct answer.  Although I haven't given up hope that I may see it again someday, I'm also not going to hold my breath.

What's the old Shakespearean saying? "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3)