The Two Princes

Two princes lived in Egypt. One devoted himself to learning, the other to piling up wealth. In the end, the first became the great scholar of his age, and the second became the ruler of Egypt. So this rich man looked down on the scholar with contempt and said: I have risen to a throne, while you are still stuck in poverty. The scholar replied: My brother, I owe even greater thanks to God, glorious be His name, for I received the inheritance of the prophets, that is, knowledge, while you received the inheritance of Pharaoh and Haman, that is, the kingdom of Egypt. I am the ant that people crush underfoot, not the wasp whose sting makes them cry out. How could I ever give proper thanks for this blessing: that I have no power to harm anyone?