A young man once went to a wise man and said that people seemed to think very little of him. He asked for some advice. The wise man gave him a ring and told him to go to the marketplace and try to sell it, but said he must not accept less than one gold coin. He promised to teach the young man something if he could sell the ring at a good price. The young man went to the market and searched for someone who might want to buy the ring. But as soon as he mentioned “at least one gold coin,” everyone shook their heads and laughed. The highest offer he received was just a few silver coins. In the end, he failed to sell the ring and returned to the wise man, feeling discouraged and downcast.
The wise man then told him to visit a jeweler in a distant village and ask how much the ring was actually worth. When the young man showed the ring to the jeweler, the jeweler examined it closely and carefully. After a moment of deep thought, he offered seventy gold coins. The young man was astonished and ran back to the wise man to share what he had heard.
Then the wise man said:
“You are just like this ring. A rare gem whose true worth can only be recognized by those who know how to see it. But why is it that you expect everyone to understand your value?”