Bring me a rock

This is a game you can’t win.

Here is how to play “Bring me a rock”

Player 1: “Bring me a rock!”

Player 2 finds a rock and brings it to player 1.

Player 1: “No! Not that rock!”

External Sources

I don’t know the origin of this parable. I’ve found mentions quite a way back, and suspect it’s much older than I can prove.

Personally I learned the name “Bring me a rock” from this post: Jeff Lembeck … though I’ve been caught up in variations of the game — without knowing the name — for decades.

Here's the earliest example I've found: From January 2002, "Johanna Rothman - Recognizing the 'bring-me-a-rock' Schedule Game"