Ecclesiastes 9:16-18

Living Bible

¹⁶ Then I realized that though wisdom is better than strength, nevertheless, if the wise man is poor, he will be despised, and what he says will not be appreciated. ¹⁷ But even so, the quiet words of a wise man are better than the shout of a king of fools. ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one rotten apple can spoil a barrelful.