“A fool is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing”. Oscar Wilde
My Granny’s wisdom was profound and gold in my life. I remember hearing my granny saying many words over the years when alive this one included;
“A fool is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing”. Oscar Wilde.
If she hadn’t been such a wise sage and advid reader, I probably would never have heard them. Oscar Wilde and his peers were for the educated in Ireland, not for the country folk. Special thanks to Ireland’s Own magazine for bringing Ireland’s scholars and so much more to the people of Ireland.
Each week she cut out the wisdom quotes and give me the clipping, her way of prompting me to return to it as if to plant the seed in my head. Her wisdom became mine growing up.
She had many years on the earth and had come to understand that wisdom isn’t just about accumulating knowledge; she knew it was about grasping the deeper truths that guide our lives. And one such truth is beautifully encapsulated in the words: “A fool is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Oh, how those words resonate with me! In a world where materialism often reigns supreme, it’s all too easy to become fixated on the price tags dangling from every item we desire. But what about the things that money cannot buy? What about the priceless moments of joy, love, and connection that enrich our souls?
My granny knew what she was talking about. Born in 1922 she lived through times of plenty and times of want, pain and sorrow. She understood the fleeting nature of relative material wealth and the enduring power of what truly matters. It was never about the size of your bank account that determined your worth. Life is about the richness of your heart and the depth of your character. She was abundant in both.
She lived at a time when a simple meal shared with loved ones meant more than the grandest feast money could buy. The laughter that echoed through the humble homes, filling it with a warmth that no sum of gold could replicate. The love that bound families together, transcending the trials and tribulations of life.
We don’t need to look to far to know that not everyone sees the world through the same lens. There are those who chase after wealth and status, blind to the true treasures that surround them. People measure success in terms of possessions rather than experiences. We fail to recognize the fleeting nature of material gains and life, the fact that we are only passing through.
She knew the importance of having and that there is nothing inherently wrong with seeking financial security enjoying the comforts that money can provide. But when the pursuit of wealth consumes us, when it blinds us to the beauty of life’s simple pleasures, that is when we risk becoming fools indeed.
If she were still alive her message would be loud and clear. She would ask us strive to see beyond the price tags and recognize the true value that lies within. She would tell us that at the end of the day, it is not what we possess that defines us. It is the depth of our humanity and the love that we share with one another. In this fearful and divided world that this wisdom is the treasure beyond measure.
God Bless you granny x
