They all decided to leave home and follow their own paths in life.
The oldest brother said, "My dream is to become the richest man in the city!"
The middle brother said, "I want to become a great scholar, the most knowledgeable person in the land!"
And the youngest brother said, "I wish to marry one of the king's daughters!"
They agreed that each of them would go in their direction and meet again after five years to see whether they had achieved their dreams.
Five years later…
The brothers returned to the same spot.
The eldest brother arrived with a grand caravan. With pride he said, "I achieved my dream! I am now extremely wealthy and an important figure in society."
The middle brother came with many students following him. He said, "I have reached my goal as well. I am now a great scholar and healer."
But the youngest brother came back exactly the same — no money, no success, no change.
The elder brothers asked, surprised, "What did you do all these years?"
The youngest replied, "After you two left, I went back home after a few days and thought to myself: 'To marry the king's daughter, I must either be rich or wise.' So I decided not to do anything. I waited for you two to return so you could help me achieve my wish. Now that you both have succeeded, come with me and ask the king for his daughter's hand… for me!"
Although the older brothers felt sorry for him, they still went with him to the king's palace.
At the palace
The youngest brother said to the king, "I want to marry one of your daughters."
The king asked, "And what do you have that makes you worthy of marrying a princess?"
The youngest proudly said, "I have two brothers who are unmatched in the world. One is so rich he could provide for the whole city, and the other's knowledge is enough for the entire country."
The king smiled and said, "If that is the case, then I decree that my two daughters will marry the two brothers you are praising so highly — not you."
Moral of the story
If you don't work for your dreams and rely on others to build your life, you end up with nothing. Success comes only to those who make an effort and struggle for their own goals.