Once a poor, unkempt man appeared at the gate of a king's palace. He was in rags and not at all suitably attired to be admitted into the presence of a monarch. So the guards stopped him.

"You cannot enter the palace in rags," they said.

The man insisted. He began to quarrel with the guards, raising his voice so loud that the king heard it."

He sent for the man.

When he appeared before the king, the noblemen around raised their eyebrows. What was this pauper doing here?

"What is your problem?", the king inquired.

"Oh, I have many problems. But the immediate one is that your guards refused me entry into the palace. Am I not your subject?"

"Yes, you are.....indeed, you are. But you must dress properly and suitably," the king said.

The poor man looked up and said, "O king, it is not wrong to enter a palace in rags and empty-handed. But to come out from a palace empty-handed and in rags is indeed a disgrace.