Study Desk

If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.

A lazy person will think he is smarter than seven men who can give good reasons for their opinions.

People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.

Better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don't care for him at all.

Do not forget your friends or your father's friends. If you are in trouble, don't ask a relative for help; a nearby neighbor can help you more than relatives who are far away.

Be wise, my child, and I will be happy; I will have an answer for anyone who criticizes me.

Any people stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger's debts deserve to have their own property held to guarantee payment.

Human desires are like the world of the dead—there is always room for more.

The rest of the goats will provide milk for you and your family, and for your servant women as well.

If you have no regard for the law, you are on the side of the wicked; but if you obey it, you are against them.

Young people who obey the law are intelligent. Those who make friends with good-for-nothings are a disgrace to their parents.

If you flatter your friends, you set a trap for yourself.

People with no regard for others can throw whole cities into turmoil. Those who are wise keep things calm.

If a king defends the rights of the poor, he will rule for a long time.

Correction and discipline are good for children. If they have their own way, they will make their mothers ashamed of them.

There is more hope for a stupid fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

"God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.

Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.

There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.

There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand: