Don't Show off A Moral Story

Once upon a time, there was a very clever minister in the court of a powerful king. The minister was known far and wide for his wisdom. He always had a solution for every problem, and the king trusted him deeply. In fact, the king never made an important decision without first consulting the minister.

But as it often happens, not everyone was happy with the minister’s success. Many people in the court were jealous of him. They envied the respect he had earned and constantly looked for ways to bring him down.

One day, the king said something in front of the entire court that surprised everyone—including the minister.

“You are very wise,” the king said, “but your son is a fool. He has no sense.”

The minister was taken aback and asked respectfully, “Your Majesty, may I ask why you say this? What has my son done to deserve such a judgment?”

The king replied, “Every morning when I go out to meet the people in the marketplace, your son is there. And every day, I ask him the same question: ‘Which is more valuable—gold or silver?’ And every single time, your son says, ‘Silver.’”

The court erupted in laughter. Some chuckled; others openly mocked the minister’s son. The minister, though hurt, remained silent. He bowed his head and left the court quietly, feeling embarrassed and disappointed.

When he reached home, he immediately called his son and asked, “Tell me honestly, which metal is more valuable—gold or silver?”

Without hesitation, the son replied, “Gold, of course.”

The minister raised his eyebrows. “Then why,” he asked, “do you keep telling the king that silver is more valuable? Why do you embarrass me every day in front of the whole court?”

The son calmly smiled and said, “Father, every morning the king places two coins in front of me—one gold and one silver. Then he asks me to choose the more valuable one. I pick the silver coin every time.”

The minister was confused. “But why? You know gold is worth more.”

The son gently took his father’s hand and led him to his room. He opened a wooden box, and to the minister’s surprise, it was filled with dozens, maybe hundreds, of silver coins.

“These,” the son said, “are the coins I’ve collected from the king.”

The minister stared at the coins, stunned.

The son continued, “Father, the day I take the gold coin, the game will end. The king will realize I know the answer and stop asking me. I will no longer get a silver coin every day. But as long as I pick the silver coin and act like I don’t understand the difference, the king keeps enjoying his little joke—and I keep collecting silver coins. If I had picked the gold coin on the first day, I would have had just one coin. But now, I have a box full.”

The minister was speechless. He looked at his son—not with disappointment, but with pride.

That day, he realized that wisdom doesn’t always look the way people expect it to. His son had used patience, observation, and quiet strategy to turn a situation to his advantage. The world may have seen him as a fool, but in reality, he was wiser than most.

From that day on, whenever someone called his son foolish, the minister would just smile and walk away.

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Moral of the Story:

In life, some people show off their intelligence loudly, while others let their actions speak. Not everyone who stays silent is clueless—and not everyone who speaks the loudest is wise. Just because the world laughs at you doesn’t mean you’re wrong. Sometimes, those who are called fools by society are actually the smartest of all.

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Be patient, be smart, and never stop moving forward.

See you next time with another inspiring tale!