Study Desk

The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.

God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny.

The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart.

So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?

And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!

So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.

So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!

A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him.

So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.

As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness;

Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can't even find their way home.

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.