The Richest Man

No beauty shines brighter than a good heart

When Bill Gates was still the richest man, somebody asked him if there was anyone richer than him. Bill Gates answered yes and started telling the story of a newspaper guy and his encounter with him.

Gates said that while he was waiting for his flight, he decided to buy a newspaper. But after he grabbed the newspaper, he looked for a change in his wallet but couldn’t find any. The newspaper guy told him to take it. A couple of months later, Gates flew into that same airport, and when he went to buy a newspaper, the same guy was selling them, and the same thing happened. After he grabbed the newspaper, he couldn’t find any change in his wallet. And again, the guy told him to take it.

“Not again,” Gates said, “You gave me a free newspaper last time,”

The guy replied, “Yes, you can take it. I’ll deduct it from my profit; it’s not a loss to me; take it.”

A couple of years later, after Bill Gates became the richest man globally, he remembered this newspaper guy. He tracked him down after a month and a half and asked him: “Do you know who l am?”

The newspaper guy answered: “Yes, I do; you are Bill Gates.”

Gates asked him: “Do you remember giving me newspapers for free?”

“Yes, I do,” the newspaper guy answered.

Gates then said: “I want to repay you for what you did for me back then. Name anything you want, and I will do it for you.”

But much to Bill Gates surprise, the newspaper guy said: “No, I can’t.” Bill Gates asked him why and the newspaper guy answered: “It’s not the same.”

“How do you mean?” Gates asked him. The newspaper guy went on to say: “I didn’t have anything, yet I helped you. You want to repay me now that you have everything! It’s not the same.”

That was when Bill Gates knew that it was by far more significant to have a rich heart than a lot of money. The newspaper guy had no money, but he had a good heart, and out of his rich heart, he did those good deeds which Bill Gates may never have done were he to be in the guy’s shoes.