箕子怖

Another story from ancient China:

昔者紂為象箸而箕子怖。以為象箸必不加於土鉶，必將犀玉之杯。象箸玉杯必不羹菽藿，則必旄象豹胎。旄象豹胎必不衣短褐而食於茅屋之下，則錦衣九重，廣室高臺。吾畏其卒，故怖其始。居五年，紂為肉圃，設炮烙，登糟邱，臨酒池，紂遂以亡。故箕子見象箸以知天下之禍，故曰：“見小曰明。”
(韓非子·喻老)

Oh, maybe I should provide some translation:

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Soon after Zhou (紂) became the emperor, he ordered his courtiers to make a pair of ivory chopsticks for him. Jizi (箕子), his uncle and political advisor, was horrified. His theory was ordinary bowl and plates would not match the pair of expensive chopsticks; jade or rhino horn would be necessary. It went without sayings that all these precious utensils should only be used to serve exotic dishes, followed by corresponding improvement in clothing and palace ...

And the rest is history.

PS. The theory does not only apply to individual; it works well for governments.