Unintended Consequences and "The Magnificent Seven"

Regarding unintended consequences:

     In the 1960 version of "The Magnificent Seven," the bandits temporarily get the drop on the seven gunfighters who have been hired to defend an impoverished farming village in the middle of nowhere. The bandit leader, played by Eli Wallach, finds it hard to believe that professionals of their stature would agree to such a mission.

     "Why would you do that?" he asks.

      One of the gunfighters, played by Steve McQueen, answers.

      "A guy I knew in El Paso took off all his clothes one day and jumped in a pile of cactus. I asked him the same question: 'Why?' He said, 'It seemed like a good idea at the time.'"