The Two Travelers Parable

There’s an old parable often called “The Two Travelers and the City.” It’s simple, short, but deeply meaningful. I read it years ago, couldn’t remember the author but I always come back it and it’s deep meaning.

The Story

Two travelers meet on the road leading toward a distant city.

The first traveler asks:
“What are the people like in the city ahead?”

The old man at the crossroads replies:
“What were the people like in the last city you visited?”

The traveler frowns.
“They were selfish, unfriendly, and impossible to get along with.”

The old man nods.
“You will find the same in the next city.”

Later, another traveler arrives and asks the same question.

Again the old man asks:
“What were the people like in the last city you visited?”

This traveler smiles.
“They were kind, generous, and helpful.”

The old man returns the smile.
“You will find the same in the next city.”

The Moral

The city doesn’t change — you do. People are more or less mostly the same everywhere you go, it’s our own perspective and our own actions that shape what we find and what we experience.

This parable reminds us that:

• Our mindset and attitude is everything.
  Two people can walk into the same workplace, relationship, or community and have completely different experiences based on how they interpret what happens.

• Running away rarely solves the real problem.
  If the issue is internal — resentment, fear, distrust, cynicism — changing your environment won’t fix it. You’ll simply carry the same patterns with you.

• What you look for becomes what you see.
  This isn’t magical thinking; it’s psychology. Attention shapes perception.