There was once a very wise man who lived in ancient times. He was elderly and educated.
One day while on a walk, he realized that his shoes were starting to wear out. He knew he had to buy a new pair. But he didn't want to buy the wrong shoes. He collected some books and spent a lot of time reading about how to know if a pair of shoes fit properly.
Following the books' instructions, the man took a stick and measured his feet with it. He then went to the market. However, he left the stick at home, which was far away from the shop.
By the time the man returned to the market, the shop was closed. And by that point, his shoes were completely worn out, so he had to return home barefoot.
The next morning, he walked back to the market with bare feet, but the shoes that he had chosen the day before had been sold. The wise man explained what had happened to the shopkeeper, who asked, "Why didn't you buy the shoes yesterday？"
The wise man replied, "Because I left the stick that I had used to measure my feet at home. And you have to have the correct measurements of your feet before you can buy shoes. I didn't want to buy the wrong size."
Even more surprised, the shopkeeper asked, "But your feet are always with you. Why didn't you just try the shoes on？"
The wise man said, "All the books say shoes must be bought with the exact measurements of the shoes you already own."
Laughing, the shop owner replied, "You don't need advice from books to buy shoes. You just need to have your feet, some money, and some common sense not to make things more difficult."
