Read the Bible

¹ It is better to have respect than good perfume.
The day of death is better than the day of birth.
² It is better to go to a funeral
    than to a party.
We all must die,
    and everyone living should think about this.
³ Sorrow is better than laughter,
    and sadness has a good influence on you.
⁴ A wise person thinks about death,
    but a fool thinks only about having a good time.
⁵ It is better to be criticized by a wise person
    than to be praised by a fool.
⁶ The laughter of fools
    is like the crackling of thorns in a cooking fire.
    Both are useless.

⁷ Even wise people are fools
    if they let money change their thinking.

⁸ It is better to finish something
    than to start it.
It is better to be patient
    than to be proud.
⁹ Don't become angry quickly,
    because getting angry is foolish.

¹⁰ Don't ask, "Why was life better in the ‘good old days'?"
    It is not wise to ask such questions.

¹¹ Wisdom is better when it comes with money.
    They both help those who are alive.
¹² Wisdom is like money:
    they both help.
But wisdom is better,
    because it can save whoever has it.

¹³ Look at what God has done:
    No one can straighten what he has bent.
¹⁴ When life is good, enjoy it.
    But when life is hard, remember:
God gives good times and hard times,
    and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

¹⁵ In my useless life I have seen both of these:
I have seen good people die in spite of their goodness
    and evil people live a long time in spite of their evil.
¹⁶ Don't be too right,
    and don't be too wise.
    Why destroy yourself?
¹⁷ Don't be too wicked,
    and don't be foolish.
    Why die before your time?
¹⁸ It is good to grab the one and not let go of the other;
    those who honor God will hold them both.

¹⁹ Wisdom makes a person stronger
    than ten leaders in a city.

²⁰ Surely there is not a good person on earth
    who always does good and never sins.

²¹ Don't listen to everything people say,
    or you might hear your servant insulting you.
²² You know that many times
    you have insulted others.

²³ I used wisdom to test all these things.
I wanted to be wise,
    but it was too hard for me.
²⁴ I cannot understand why things are as they are.
    It is too hard for anyone to understand.
²⁵ I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom,
    to find some meaning for everything.
I learned that it is foolish to be evil,
    and it is crazy to act like a fool.

²⁶ I found that some women are worse than death
    and are as dangerous as traps.
Their love is like a net,
    and their arms hold men like chains.
A man who pleases God will be saved from them,
    but a sinner will be caught by them.

²⁷ The Teacher says, "This is what I learned:
I added all these things together
    to find some meaning for everything.
²⁸ While I was searching,
    I did not find one man among the thousands I found.
Nor did I find a woman among all these.
²⁹ One thing I have learned:
God made people good,
    but they have found all kinds of ways to be bad."