Once there was an elder's son who went to sea to gather agarwood. After collecting it for years, he finally had enough for a cartload. He brought it home and went to the market to sell it. Because it was so expensive, no one bought it. After many days without a sale, he grew weary and distressed. Then he saw someone selling charcoal and making quick sales, so he thought, "Why not burn my agarwood into charcoal? That should sell quickly." He burned it into charcoal and took it to market, but it was worth less than half a cartload of charcoal. People foolish in this world are just the same. --The Sutra of the Hundred Parables: Gathering Agarwood from the Sea
Theme: Don't blindly imitate others. Beware of rushing toward quick success.
