Quotes About Reflection

I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”

I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?

So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.

But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Again, I saw futility under the sun.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.

As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.

For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.

This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?

For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

There is another evil I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind:

even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

For the more words, the more futility—and how does that profit anyone?

For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?

It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.

Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.