Quotes About Vanity

They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.

who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.

Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.

It is not good to eat too much honey or to search out oneís own glory.

There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—

“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”

What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile.

I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.

Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.

For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool!

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.

For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?

Again, I saw futility under the sun.