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A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

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Lessons for Life

A good name exceeds the value of fine perfume,
    and the day of someone’s death exceeds the value of[a] the day of his birth.
It’s better to attend a funeral[b]
    than to attend a banquet,[c]
for everyone dies eventually,
    and the living will take this to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
    because the heart is made better through trouble.
For the wise person thinks carefully when in mourning,
    but fools focus their thoughts on pleasure.
It is better to listen to a wise person’s rebuke
    than to listen to the praise[d] of fools.
For as thorns burn to heat a pot,
    so also is the laughter of the fool—
        even this is pointless.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:1 Lit. death than
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Lit. house of mourning
  3. Ecclesiastes 7:2 Lit. house of feasting
  4. Ecclesiastes 7:5 Lit. song