The CHINAMAN

A wealthy Chinese businessman was now old and wanted to retire. So he called his three sons and told them: "I am not going to divide my business and give it to all three of you. What I want to find out is this; which of you is the best businessman? So I am going to test the three of you. Whoever wins the test gets the whole business."
So the old man gave each of the sons $10. With that money each one was supposed to buy something which would fill a big empty room. The boy who filled the room most completely would win.
The first boy went out and bought a big leafy tree. He had it cut down and dragged into the room. It filled about half the room.
The second young man went out and bought all the kunai grass which some farmers were cutting off their field. They carried it in and filled most of the room.
The third boy was the smartest. He went to a small trade store and bought a candle for 25c. in the evening, after the dark, he called his dad over to the large empty room. He then put the little candle down on the floor in the middle of the room and lighted it. After a minute or so he turned to his dad and said, "Dad, can you see any little corner of this room which is not filled by the light of that tiny candle?"
The boy won the business.

-Herb Trueblood