How to Get Benefit From Speech

Always speak the truth, in a pleasant tone and with the good of others in mind. One who lies, his words fall flat and his heart beat increases. One who speaks the truth and that too in a sweet manner, his courage increases. Those who say that one cannot run a business without telling lies, are simply ignorant about the power of truth.

A boy was running a stall in a vegetable market. Another boy had a similar stall next to his. One afternoon a customer picked up a big water-melon from the first boy’s stall and asked him, “Is this melon good?”

The boy replied, “Sir! The good ones have already been sold. This one looks good but it is rotten and tasteless.”
Before moving to the next stall the man said, “You are honest but your goods will not be sold in this way.”
The boy answered, “I shall sell by telling the truth. I don’t mind if my sales increase or decrease.”
The man went over to the adjacent stall and asked, “Brother! Is this cucumber fresh?”
The boy said, “Yes sir, it is fresh.” The man paid for the cucumber and returned home. After he had left, the second boy told the first one, “You are foolish! You should not say like that for your goods. I sold my cucumber which was three days old for fresh. Now you will have to throw away your water-melon.”

Hearing this, the first boy said, “I don’t care if it is not sold, but I will never tell a lie. I experience great peace by speaking the truth.”
When the man cut the cucumber, he found that it was rotten. He thought, ‘The cucumber-vendor has cheated me.’ From the next day onwards he started buying everything from the watermelon vendor who was honest. He never bought anything from the boy who sold cucumbers. Gradually, the boy came to be known throughout the city for his honesty and he began to get many customers. Finally, he became a big businessman but the other boy remained poor as ever.

A liar loses his value, reliability and influence. We should conduct in such a manner as would gain the trust of not only our own people but others as well. One becomes a successful shopkeeper only when he wins the trust of his customers.
Truth alone is God, while falsehood and deceit personify the satan. One with an inclination for truth is inclined to God, and one who has inclination for deceit is inclined to troubles. Therefore, abstain from deceit and forgery for ever and take recourse to truth alone.