Little Johnny was always being teased by the other boys in the neighborhood.

They all thought he wasn’t very bright, and their favorite trick was to offer him a choice between a nickel and a dime.

Every time, they would hold out both coins and say, “Go on, Johnny. Pick one.”

And every single time, Little Johnny would choose the nickel.

The boys would burst out laughing because, even though the nickel was bigger, the dime was worth more.

They did this again and again, and Johnny always took the nickel without saying a word.

One afternoon, a neighbor saw the whole thing happen. The boys offered Johnny the two coins, Johnny picked the nickel, and they all ran off laughing.

The neighbor felt sorry for him and called him over.

“Johnny,” he said gently, “I don’t want to upset you, but those boys are making fun of you.”

Johnny looked at him calmly.

The neighbor continued, “Don’t you understand? A dime is worth more than a nickel, even though the nickel is bigger. You should take the dime.”

Johnny smiled.

Then he leaned closer and said:

“Well, if I took the dime, they’d stop doing it, and so far I’ve made $20!”