Ecclesiastes 2:12-16

International Standard Version

¹² Next I turned to examine wisdom, insanity, and foolishness, because what can a person do who succeeds the king except what has already been accomplished? ¹³ I concluded that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than darkness. ¹⁴ The wise use their eyes, but the fool walks in darkness. I also perceived that the same outcome affects them all.

The Pointlessness of Life

¹⁵ Then I told myself, “Whatever happens to the fool will happen also to me. Therefore what’s the point in being so wise?” And I told myself that this also is pointless. ¹⁶ For neither the wise nor the fool will be long remembered, since in days to come everything will be forgotten. The wise man dies the same way as the fool, does he not?