¹⁵ Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!”

⁸ So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

¹⁴ I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

¹⁶ For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

The Futility of Pleasure

2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.

¹⁶ I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”

Everything Is Meaningless

² “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

¹² I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!