1. Just as snow should not fall in summer, nor rain at harvest time, so people should not honor a fool.
2. Don’t worry when someone curses you for no reason. Nothing bad will happen. Such words are like birds that fly past and never stop.
3. You have to whip a horse, you have to put a bridle on a mule, and you have to beat a fool.
4-5. There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid. If you answer them, then you, too, will look like a fool. If you don’t answer them, they will think they are smart.
6. Never let a fool carry your message. If you do, it will be like cutting off your own feet. You are only asking for trouble.
7. A fool trying to say something wise is like a crippled person trying to walk.
8. Showing honor to a fool is as bad as tying a rock in a sling.
9. A fool trying to say something wise is like a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
10. Hiring a fool or a stranger who is just passing by is dangerous—you don’t know who might get hurt.
11. Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again.
12. People who think they are wise when they are not are worse than fools.
13. A person who is lazy and wants to stay home says, “What if there is a lion out there? Really, there might be a lion in the street!”
14. Like a door on its hinges, a lazy man turns back and forth on his bed.