A wise person’s good sense protects him, but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.

For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies – just like the fool!

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools.

Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.

Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city.

The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among fools.

The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive.

A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice.

So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows the proper time and procedure.

The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd.

The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.

Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

Who is a wise person? Who knows the solution to a problem? A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, and softens his harsh countenance.

However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, and he could have delivered the city by his wisdom, but no one listened to that poor man.

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught knowledge to the people; he carefully evaluated and arranged many proverbs.

So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated – no one knows what lies ahead.

Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge – for time and chance may overcome them all.

then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.