shake it off and step up
an old farmer's mule fell into and got stuck in a well. try as he might, the farmer couldn't get it out. after many frustrated attempts, he decided the mule wasn't worth saving, so he set about burying it alive in the well. everytime a shovel-full of dirt landed on the mule, the mule would shake it off and step up on it. eventually the mule, on a mountain of dirt, simply stepped out of the well.