A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls. The prince was not interested. `Am I a Girl for you to give me dolls? ‘he `This is gift for a future king,’ said the sage. `If you look carefully, you will see a hole in the ear of each doll.’

 `So?’ the sage handed him a piece of strong string. `Pass it through each doll’, he said.

 The prince picked up the first doll curiously and put the string through the ear. It came out from the other ear.

 `This is the first type of person,’ said the sage, `Whatever you tell him comes out from the other ear. He does not retain anything.’

 The prince put the string into the second doll. It came out from the mouth.

 `This is the second type of person’ said the sage, `whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else.’

 The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process. The string did not reappear from anywhere else. `This is the third person,’ said the sage. `Whatever you tell him, it gets locked up within him. It never comes out.’

 `What is the best type of person?’ asked the prince. The sage handed him a fourth doll, in answer. When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other ear.

 `Do it again,’ said the sage. The prince repeated the process. This time the string came out from the mouth. When he put the string in a third time, it did not come out at all.

 This is the best type of person,’ said the sage, `to be trustworthy, a man must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out.’