Buddha told a parable in a sutra

A man traveling across a field encountered a
tiger.  He fled,  the tiger after him.  Coming to a
precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild
vine and swung himself down over the edge.  The
tiger sniffed at him from above.  Trembling, the
man looked down to where, far below, another
tiger was waiting to eat him.  Only the vine
sustained him.
Two mice, one white and one black, little by
little started to gnaw away the vine.  The man saw
a luscious strawberry near him.  Grasping the
vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry
with the other.
How sweet it tasted!

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones:
A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen
Writings, compiled by Paul Reps