उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय 33: धृतराष्ट्र-विदुर संवादः (विदुरनीतिः)
अप्युन्मत्तात् प्रलपतो बालाच्च परिजल्पत: । सर्वत: सारमादद्यादश्मभ्य इव काउ्चनम्
apy unmattāt pralapato bālāc ca parijalpataḥ | sarvataḥ sāram ādadyād aśmabhya iva kāñcanam ||
अप्युन्मत्तात् प्रलपतो बालाच्च परिजल्पतः । सर्वतः सारमादद्यादश्मभ्य इव काञ्चनम् ॥
विदुर उवाच
Cultivate discernment: do not reject speech merely because the speaker seems foolish, mad, or childish. A wise person can separate substance from noise and take the useful truth wherever it appears, like extracting gold from rock.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura is giving nīti (ethical-political counsel) during the tense pre-war negotiations. Here he urges a habit of practical wisdom—listening widely and extracting the essential lesson even from unlikely or imperfect speakers.