1. A good reputation is better than expensive pleasures. The day someone dies is better than the day they were born.
2. It is better to go to a funeral than to a party, because everyone must die, and the living need to remember this.
3. Sorrow is even better than laughter, because when our face is sad, our heart becomes good.
4. A wise person thinks about death, but a fool thinks only about having a good time.
5. It is better to be criticized by the wise than praised by the foolish.
16-17. So why ruin your life? Don’t be too good or too bad, and don’t be too wise or too foolish. Why should you die before your time?
19-20. Surely there is no one on earth who always does good and never sins. But wisdom can make one person stronger than ten leaders in a city.
27-28. The Teacher says, “I added all this together to see what answer I could find. I am still looking for answers, but I did find this: I found one good man in a thousand. But I did not find even one good woman.