The Quarrel

From Rowan Williams' book on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Where God Happens:

Two hermits lived together for many years without a quarrel. One said to the other, "Let's have a quarrel with each other, as other men do. The other answered, "I don't know how a quarrel happens." The first said, "Look here, I put a brick between us, and I say, 'That's mine.' Then you say, 'No, it's mine.' That is how you begin a quarrel. So they put a brick between them and one of them said, "That's mine." The other said, "No, it's mine." He answered, "Yes, it's yours. Take it away." They were unable to argue with each other.