--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A certain king had a beautiful garden…" description: "\"“A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg" --- # A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden… ![“A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep…” quote by Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg) > ““A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his eldest son to watch; but about twelve o'clock he fell asleep, and in the morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch; and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch; but the gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him: however, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as it was snapping at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm; only it dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but the king said, 'One feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird.”” [Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A king obsessively seeks the whole bird, valuing a single feather, illustrating greed and the folly of never being satisfied. **In simple terms:** Greed blinds us to true value. Key Takeaway Seek contentment over endless desire. Themes greed contentment power illusion Mood cautionary reflective Type folklore philosophical When to use this quote - business negotiations - personal ambition - environmental policy - resource management Key Concepts mythology morality human nature Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if you owned the whole bird? - How can we balance ambition with gratitude? A Different Perspective The story may oversimplify complex motivations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Every night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) ## Related quotes > [“A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-grimm/a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-and-in-the-garden-stood-a-tree-3/) [Jacob Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-grimm/) > [“The story is that while a child named Servius Tullius lay sleeping, his head burst into flames in the sight of many. The general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/the-story-is-that-while-a-child-named-servius-tullius-lay-sleeping/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-behold-all-the-men-of-israel-came-to-the-king-and-said-unto-the/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [If you're not comparing apples to apples, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/if-you-re-not-comparing-apples-to-apples-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [What we've done with our modern food supply is absolute insanity. It's not even real any more. You used to be able to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/what-we-ve-done-with-our-modern-food-supply-is-absolute-insanity-it-s/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [If Radiohead were a fruit we would be apples, because apples are festive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/if-radiohead-were-a-fruit-we-would-be-apples-because-apples-are/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [“Like golden apples in silver settings are words spoken at the proper time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverbs-25-11/like-golden-apples-in-silver-settings-are-words-spoken-at-the-proper/) Proverbs 25 11 > [Such is always the pursuit of knowledge. The celestial fruits, the golden apples of the Hesperides, are ever guarded by a hundred-headed dragon which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/such-is-always-the-pursuit-of-knowledge-the-celestial-fruits-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Cassandra continued her obstacle course along the wall, hoping to find a gate or a door, anything permitting entry. The sun was rising in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/cassandra-continued-her-obstacle-course-along-the-wall-hoping-to-find/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Women are silver dishes into which we put golden apples.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/women-are-silver-dishes-into-which-we-put-golden-apples/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [And pluck till time and times are done the silver apples of the moon the golden apples of the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/and-pluck-till-time-and-times-are-done-the-silver-apples-of-the-moon/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-grimm/a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-and-in-the-garden-stood-a-tree/) [Jacob Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-grimm/) > [It has always touched my heart to sense so deeply how much the Father loved His eldest son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/it-has-always-touched-my-heart-to-sense-so-deeply-how-much-the-father/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [I do believe that where there is a choice between cowardice and non-violence I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-believe-that-where-there-is-a-choice-between-cowardice-and-non/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [We were the outliers: my mother was the only Western woman (khawagayya, in Egyptian Arabic) to have married into the family, and during my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shereen-el-feki/we-were-the-outliers-my-mother-was-the-only-western-woman-khawagayya/) [Shereen El Feki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shereen-el-feki/) ## More by Brothers Grimm > [“Let no one ever say that anyone who is silly can never become a person of importance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/let-no-one-ever-say-that-anyone-who-is-silly-can-never-become-a/) [Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) > [“Alas, wife, what are you saying?' 'Husband,' said she. 'If I can't order the moon and sun to rise, and have to look on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/alas-wife-what-are-you-saying-husband-said-she-if-i-can-t-order-the/) [Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) > [“Everyone must take his burden on his back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/everyone-must-take-his-burden-on-his-back/) [Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) > [“In the meantime, when he went on his way back, the seed had grown into a tree which reached up to the sky. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/in-the-meantime-when-he-went-on-his-way-back-the-seed-had-grown-into/) [Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) > [“My love for her is so great, that if all the leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/my-love-for-her-is-so-great-that-if-all-the-leaves-on-all-the-trees/) [Brothers Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) [Explore all 6 Brothers Grimm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/) ## More Eldest son quotes > [We were the outliers: my mother was the only Western woman (khawagayya, in Egyptian Arabic) to have married into the family, and during my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shereen-el-feki/we-were-the-outliers-my-mother-was-the-only-western-woman-khawagayya/) [Shereen El Feki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shereen-el-feki/) > [I do believe that where there is a choice between cowardice and non-violence I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-believe-that-where-there-is-a-choice-between-cowardice-and-non/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [It has always touched my heart to sense so deeply how much the Father loved His eldest son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/it-has-always-touched-my-heart-to-sense-so-deeply-how-much-the-father/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [“Wild horses wouldn't have made Daniel admit that his wife, Anna, would have lectured him for an hour if she'd known what he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/wild-horses-wouldn-t-have-made-daniel-admit-that-his-wife-anna-would/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Father was the eldest son and the heir apparent, and he set the standard for being a Rockefeller very high, so every achievement was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/father-was-the-eldest-son-and-the-heir-apparent-and-he-set-the/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [“I could have allowed myself more time. I have used my best efforts, with the aid of my eldest son, F. D. Grant, assisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-could-have-allowed-myself-more-time-i-have-used-my-best-efforts/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [“Silas’s last book: mother lying-in with her eleventh upstairs, father laid-out after his ninth downstairs, eldest son lying to the Government in the cow-shed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/silas-s-last-book-mother-lying-in-with-her-eleventh-upstairs-father/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“Many Horses was putting the finishing touches on a bow he had been making when Hunter entered the tepee. Setting the weapon aside, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/many-horses-was-putting-the-finishing-touches-on-a-bow-he-had-been/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [The Emperor Constantine, who lifted Christianity into power, murdered his wife Fausta, and his eldest son Crispus, the same year that he convened the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-emperor-constantine-who-lifted-christianity-into-power-murdered/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [On the king's gate the moss grew gray; The king came not. They call'd him dead; And made his eldest son, one day, Slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/on-the-king-s-gate-the-moss-grew-gray-the-king-came-not-they-call-d/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [Vice President Biden had recently launched the 'Cancer Moonshots', a campaign to finally eradicate cancer across humanity. He had lost his eldest son, Beau,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/vice-president-biden-had-recently-launched-the-cancer-moonshots-a/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [Though the fact that they have to be rebuilt And frequently mortgaged to the hilt Is inclined to take the gilt Off the gingerbread,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/though-the-fact-that-they-have-to-be-rebuilt-and-frequently-mortgaged/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [“Some say the Tudors transcend this history, bloody and demonic as it is: that they descend from Brutus through the line of Constantine, son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/some-say-the-tudors-transcend-this-history-bloody-and-demonic-as-it/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [The first 10 years of my professional life had only to do with running away from my father. He was a wonderful cabinet-maker, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/the-first-10-years-of-my-professional-life-had-only-to-do-with/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [Indeed, the Duke of Edinburgh's disdain for his eldest son was all the more shocking because he made little or no attempt to hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/indeed-the-duke-of-edinburgh-s-disdain-for-his-eldest-son-was-all-the/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) Browse all 60 Eldest son quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his eldest son to watch; but about twelve o'clock he fell asleep, and in the morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch; and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch; but the gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him: however, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as it was snapping at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm; only it dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but the king said, 'One feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brothers Grimm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-and-in-the-garden-stood-a-tree-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eldest son" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-and-in-the-garden-stood-a-tree-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/brothers-grimm-56589_eldest-son_a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-an_1533039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples…” — Brothers Grimm", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brothers Grimm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brothers-grimm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A certain king had a beautiful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-and-in-the-garden-stood-a-tree-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brothers-grimm/a-certain-king-had-a-beautiful-garden-and-in-the-garden-stood-a-tree-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```