I’d like to build a beautiful building,” said Shah for the third time that day.

“Here are the specifications. Let me know how much it’ll cost,” he said, handing the builder some blueprints.

He’d already done this twice earlier that day to see which builder would quote the cheapest bid. 

A week later the bids came in and Shah called in the cheapest bidder. 

He then lied to him, “I like you. Your work doesn’t seem all that great, but I like to take a chance with people. If you can lower your cost by 20% to match the other bids, this big project is yours.”

The builder reluctantly agreed and asked, “What’s the building going to be called?”

“I want to call it the Taj Mahal!” said a beaming Shah Jahan, glad that he had struck a great deal. 

This story never happened. That’s why the Taj Mahal happened.

Because the Taj Mahal would’ve never been the seventh wonder of the world had Shah Jahan asked for three quotes and picked the cheapest one. 

It happened because he knew what he wanted and was willing to pay for it.