誰知道剛走到山下。天竟下起雨來，倆人在空曠處被淋了個透。更為不幸的是，背棉花的樵夫背上的棉花，吸飽了雨水。重得背不動，實在不得已，只能丟下一路辛苦舍不得放棄的棉花，空著手和挑金子的同伴回家去了。
However, when they just went down to the foot of the mountain, it began to rain all of a sudden. Both of them were wet from head to toes. More unfortunately, the woodsman who carried the cotton found that his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy that he could no longer go on carrying it. Desperately, he had to abandon the cotton and went back home empty-handed with his partner carrying gold.

　　在人生的每個關鍵時刻，謹慎地運用智慧，做最正確的選擇，同時別忘了及時審視選擇的角度，適時調整。要學會從各個不同的角度全面研究問題，放掉無謂的固執。冷靜地用開放的心胸做正確抉擇。每次正確無誤的抉擇將指引你走在通往成功的坦途上。
This story implies that we should deliberately utilize our wisdom and intelligence to make the right choice in face of every critical point in our life. Meantime, we should not forget to review all the choices we have carefully and adjust our goal accordingly. We should learn to view a certain issue from different angles and avoid being stubborn. By opening your mind to the right choice, you will be guided to a smoother way to success.

(原文: 選自小故事網；譯者: 愛爾蘭都柏林大學 賴小琪)