2:17 So I loathed life because what
happens on earth seems awful to me;
for all the benefits of wisdom are futile – like chasing the wind.
3:18 I also thought to myself, “It is for the sake of people,
so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.
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?
5:3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares,
so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words.
5:11 When someone’s prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase;
so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?
5:16 This is another misfortune:
Just as he came, so will he go.
What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
6:8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool?
And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?
7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of folly also is useless.
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.
10:1 One dead fly makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench,
so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom.