Short Stories » Gold Coins and a Selfish Man
Gold Coins and a Selfish Man
Sam was a greedy and selfish man. He always desired to have lots and lots of money and never hesitated to cheat others to make money. Also, he never wished to share anything with others. He paid very low wages to his servants.
However, one day, he learned a lesson that changed his life forever.
It so happened that one day, a small bag that belonged to Sam was missing. The bag had 50 gold coins in it. Sam searched high and low for the bag, but could not find it. Sam’s friends and neighbours also joined in the search, but all their efforts were in vain.
After a couple of days, the ten year old daughter of a man working for Sam found the bag. She told her father about it. Her father identified the bag as the one that was missing, and immediately decided to take it to his master.
He gave the bag back to his master Sam, and asked him to check whether the bag had 50 gold coins. Sam was exultant to get the coins back, but he decided to play a trick. He shouted at his worker, “there were 75 gold coins in this bag but you gave me only 50! Where are the other coins? You have stolen them!”
The worker was shocked to hear this and pleaded his innocence. Selfish and greedy, Sam did not accept the worker’s story, and decided to take the issue to court.
The judge heard both the sides. He questioned the daughter and the worker about the number of coins they had found in the bag, and they assured it was only 50.
He cross-examined Sam and Sam replied, “Yes my lord, I had 75 gold coins in my bag, and they gave me only 50. Hence, it is quite obvious that they have stolen 25 coins!”
The judge then asked, “Are you sure that your bag had 75 coins?”
Sam nodded vigorously.
The judge then made his judgment.
“Since Sam lost a bag of 75 gold coins and the bag found by the girl had only 50 coins, it is obvious that the bag that was found does not belong to Sam. It was lost by someone else. If anyone finds a bag of 75 gold coins, I will declare that it belongs to Sam. As there are no complaints about the loss of 50 coins, I order the girl and his father to take those 50 coins as a token of appreciation for their honesty!”
Honesty will always be rewarded and greed punished!
Selfish Man - Takeaway for Class 1,2,3
Sharing with others makes everyone happier in the end.
Selfish Man - Takeaway for Class 4,5,6
Being selfish and thinking only of ourselves can lead to losing friends and missing out on the true joy of sharing and helping others.
Selfish Man - Takeaway for Class 7,8,9
Being selfish can lead to losing both what you have and the trust of others.
3 Fun Facts
- The story is about a man named Peter who loved gold and was very selfish.
- Peter buried all his gold under a tree and checked it every day to make sure it was safe.
- One day, a thief saw him and stole all the gold, teaching Peter a lesson about the true value of his wealth.
Quiz for Class 1,2,3
- Who was Sam and what did he always care about?
- What did Sam do when Tim fell into the river?
- How did the old man help Tim in the story?
Quiz for Class 4,5,6
- Why did the rich man refuse to help the poor man who came to his door?
- What lesson did the rich man learn when he almost drowned in the river?
- How did the villagers react when the rich man experienced trouble in the river?
Quiz for Class 7,8,9
- What does the wise man do to teach the selfish man a lesson after he refuses to help others in need?
- How does the selfish man's perception of the wise man's actions change throughout the story?
- What is the primary moral lesson conveyed through the experiences of the selfish man?
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