An African farmer, captivated by tales of others striking it rich by discovering diamond mines, sold his farm to search for diamonds himself. He spent his life wandering the continent in vain, eventually dying destitute and despondent.
Meanwhile, the new owner of the farm found a large, sparkling stone in a creek on the property and placed it on his mantel as a curiosity. A visitor later identified it as one of the largest diamonds ever found. The new farmer then revealed that his land was covered with such stones.
The first farmer had sold what became the most productive diamond mine in Africa. He had owned acres of diamonds but sold them for practically nothing to search elsewhere.
The moral is clear: If he had taken time to learn what diamonds looked like in their rough state and thoroughly explored his own land first, his dreams would have come true.