In His New Clothes

Many years ago there was an Emperor who was so fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on them. He did not care for his soldiers, nor did he care to go to the theatre or drive about in his carriage, except when it gave him a chance to show off his new clothes.

He had a coat for every hour of the day, and just as they say of a king “He is in his council chamber,” they said of him, “The Emperor is in his dressing room.”

Now, one day two swindlers came to the city. They pretended to be weavers and claimed they could make the finest cloth imaginable—so fine that only those who were wise and fit for their positions could see it. The Emperor, eager to test his officials and show off his discernment, ordered them to begin at once.

But the looms were empty! Yet everyone—ministers, courtiers, even the Emperor himself—pretended to see the magnificent fabric, afraid of being thought foolish or unfit for office.

Finally, the Emperor paraded through the streets in his “new clothes.” The crowd praised the invisible garments—until a child cried out, “But he has nothing on!” And then the truth spread like wildfire...

This timeless tale reminds us of the power of honesty and the danger of blind conformity.