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Proverbs about Life

A good name is better than expensive perfume, and the day you die is better than the day you’re born. It is better to go to a funeral than to a banquet because that is where everyone will end up. Everyone who is alive should take this to heart! Sorrow is better than laughter because, in spite of a sad face, the heart can be joyful. The minds of wise people think about funerals, but the minds of fools think about banquets.

It is better to listen to wise people who reprimand you than to fools who sing your praises. The laughter of a fool is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot. Even this is pointless.

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Wisdom

A good name is better than fine perfume,(A)
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.(B)
It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death(C) is the destiny(D) of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
Frustration is better than laughter,(E)
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.(F)
It is better to heed the rebuke(G) of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns(H) under the pot,
    so is the laughter(I) of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

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