A newly appointed county magistrate arrived in a village. Having passed the state exam with top honors at a young age, he was proud of his achievements and sought out the village’s most respected elder.
“What do you believe is the most important virtue in governing this village?” the magistrate asked.
The elder replied simply, “To avoid evil and do good as much as possible.”
The magistrate frowned. “Even a child knows that! Are you making light of me?”
The elder, calm and composed, said nothing. Instead, he offered the magistrate a cup of tea. As he poured, the tea reached the brim—but he kept pouring. It spilled over the edges and onto the floor.
“Sir, the cup is full! You must stop pouring,” the magistrate exclaimed.
The elder smiled gently. “You see that when a cup is full, it can hold no more. Yet you do not see that when your heart is already full of your own thoughts, no new wisdom can enter. Since you came with your heart already full, my words had no room to settle in.”