E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bu’ridan’s Ass.
A man of indecision; like one “on double business bound, who stands in pause where he should first begin, and both neglects.” Bu’ridan the scholastic said: “If a hungry ass were placed exactly between two hay-stacks in every respect equal, it would starve to death, because there would be no motive why it should go to one rather than to the other.”
