The Miser

A miser turned his whole fortune into gold, made it into a single ingot, and buried it in a certain spot, where he buried his heart and mind along with it. Every day he came to look at his treasure. But a workman watched him, guessed how things stood, and, digging up the ingot, carried it off. Some time later the miser came too, and, finding the spot empty, began to groan and tear his hair. A passer-by, seeing him lament like this and asking the reason, said to him, "Don't despair so, my friend; for even while you had gold, it was as if you had none. Take a stone, then, put it in the gold's place, and imagine it is your gold: it will serve you just as well; for, as far as I can see, even when the gold was there, you made no use of your wealth."