Если долго смотреть в пустоту, она начинает смотреть в ответ.

Сколько групп слов смогли угадать до того, как заглянули в ключи?

All that glitters is not gold.

— William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, a famous English poet and playwright, once wrote that all that glitters is not gold. In my opinion, he meant that looks can be deceiving, and the quality of something is not always determined by its appearance.

Personally, I share Shakespeare’s opinion. Firstly, there is no connection between someone or something’s look and internal qualities. Determining a person on thing’s value based on appearance may lead to making the wrong decision and suffering the consequences of a poor choice. Secondly, unattractive people may turn out to have a heart of gold, and shabby-looking things may be extremely valuable and high-quality.

To support my point of view, I would like to give the following examples. In ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde, the main character is able to hide his immoral lifestyle because his portrait takes on all the consequences of his sins. He even avoids punishment for his crimes because others consider him pure and innocent based on his looks. Furthermore, Quasimodo, the titular character of Victor Hugo’s novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,’ is kind and honest although he is shunned by everyone because of his deformities.

To sum up, it is vital to place more emphasis on inner value of something. It may be difficult to notice it, yet it is undoubtedly more important.

Stories Wanted
Write a story for our magazine. The story must begin with the sentence: Anita had just arrived at her house when she realized she didn't have her keys.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SOCIABLE

Anita had just arrived at her house when she realized she didn't have her keys. Moreover, her phone had died, leaving her without any connection to her landlord or a locksmith. Anita was devastated! Her dog Bucky had sensed the owner’s presence and was barking from the inside, but to no avail! Anita couldn’t comfort him through the door.

With no other options, Anita decided to go downstairs to the lobby and find someone who could give her a charger. As she started descending the stairs, she heard another dog start barking. It was higher-pitched and came from downstairs. Soon, a little dog ran up to Anita’s door, and both dogs’ loud barking filled the hallway.

A few moments later, an elderly woman joined Anita in the hallway. It was her neighbour, Mrs. Rocks, who lived two floors below Anita. ‘Hello, dear,’ she said, ‘It seems like you need some help.’ ‘Hello, Mrs. Rocks! Yes, I forgot my keys, and I can’t call my landlord because I don’t have a phone,’ Anita replied.

Fortunately, the kind neighbour knew the man’s number and offered Anita a cup of tea to kill time while they were waiting for him. It turned out that Mrs. Rocks was dogsitting for her grandson and followed his dog upstairs when he started barking. Had it not been for the neighbour’s curious dog, Anita would have been stuck there for much longer!