Quotes About Reflection

If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.

What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?

These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

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

All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!

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.

I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

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

I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me.

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.

Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the kingís successor do than what has already been accomplished?

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.

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

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?

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard,

a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.

What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.