Secret of Secrets

...She said: "There is no shame upon a king if he is stingy toward himself but generous toward his subjects." The people of India said: "The king who is generous to both himself and his subjects is correct." They all agreed that being generous to oneself while being stingy toward one's subjects is a flaw and a corruption for the kingdom. It has become incumbent upon us—upon us when we dedicate ourselves to research—to clarify what generosity is, what stinginess is, what the excess of generosity is, and the disaster that comes from negligence. It becomes apparent that metaphors are faulted if they demonstrate...