1:16 I thought to myself,
“I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem;
I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”
3:12 I have concluded that there is nothing better for people
than to be happy and to enjoy
themselves as long as they live,
3:22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work,
because that is their reward;
for who can show them what the future holds?
4:3 But better than both is the one who has not been born
and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.
4:13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king
who no longer knows how to receive advice.
6:7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach –
yet his appetite is never satisfied!
7:2 It is better to go to a funeral
than a feast.
For death is the destiny of every person,
and the living should take this to heart.
7:5 It is better for a person to receive a rebuke from those who are wise
than to listen to the song of fools.
9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice.