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Do not subject yourself to a fool, or show partiality to a ruler.
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She seems very harsh to the undisciplined; fools cannot remain with her.
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Do not consult with fools, for they cannot keep a secret.
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The foolish will not obtain her, and sinners will not see her.
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Such are the thoughts of one devoid of understanding; a senseless and misguided person thinks foolishly.
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A fool is ungracious and abusive, and the gift of a grudging giver makes the eyes dim.
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Having heard something, the fool suffers birth-pangs like a woman in labour with a child.
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Like an arrow stuck in a person’s thigh, so is gossip inside a fool.
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There is a cleverness that is detestable, and there is a fool who merely lacks wisdom.
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The wise remain silent until the right moment, but a boasting fool misses the right moment.
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The wise make themselves beloved by only few words, but the courtesies of fools are wasted.
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A fool’s gift will profit you nothing, for he looks for recompense sevenfold.
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The fool says, ‘I have no friends, and I get no thanks for my good deeds. Those who eat my bread are evil-tongued.’
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A proverb from a fool’s lips will be rejected, for he does not tell it at the proper time.
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Wisdom and Foolishness
Whoever keeps the law controls his thoughts, and the fulfilment of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.
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The mind of a fool is like a broken jar; it can hold no knowledge.
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When an intelligent person hears a wise saying, he praises it and adds to it; when a fool hears it, he laughs at it and throws it behind his back.
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A fool’s chatter is like a burden on a journey, but delight is found in the speech of the intelligent.
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Like a house in ruins is wisdom to a fool, and to the ignorant, knowledge is talk that has no meaning.
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A fool raises his voice when he laughs, but the wise smile quietly.
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The foot of a fool rushes into a house, but an experienced person waits respectfully outside.
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The mind of fools is in their mouth, but the mouth of the wise is in their mind.
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Wisdom and Folly
Whoever teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together, or who rouses a sleeper from deep slumber.
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Whoever tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy man; and at the end he will say, ‘What is it?’
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Weep for the dead, for he has left the light behind; and weep for the fool, for he has left intelligence behind. Weep less bitterly for the dead, for he is at rest; but the life of the fool is worse than death.
