The Dignity of Contentment

A man had sugarcane laid out on a tray, turning left and right, calling for a buyer. In a corner of the village he said to a wise man, 'Take some now, and pay me back when you can.' That gracious, thoughtful man gave an answer worthy of being written on one's eyes. 'You wouldn't stay patient waiting on me, but I can wait; I can do without your sugarcane.' Sugar holds no sweetness in its reed when a bitter debt is hanging over it.