How dark are all the ways of god to man!
Power gives no purchase to the hand, it will not hold, soon perishes, and greatness goes.
Those who have not, and live in want, are a menace, Ridden with envy and fooled by demagogues.
Some men never find prosperity, For all their voyaging, While others find it with no voyaging.
In every work a reward added makes the pleasure twice as great.
Men honor property above all else; it has the greatest power in human life.
All men know their children Mean more than life. If childless people sneer- Well, they’ve less sorrow. But what lonesome luck!
Old men’s prayers for death are lying prayers, in which they abuse old age and long extent of life. But when death draws near, not one is willing to die, and age no longer is a burden to them.
Alas, how right the ancient saying is: We, who are old, are nothing else but noise And shape. Like mimicries of dreams we go, And have no wits, although we think us wise.
Neither earth nor ocean produces a creature as savage and monstrous as woman.
Men make their choice: one man honors one God, and one another.
What is god, what is not god, what is between man and god, who shall say?
God gives each his due at the time allotted.
Love’s all in all to women.
When cheated, wife or husband feels the same.
The unrighteous are never really fortunate.
Dead men have no victory.
Where there are two, one cannot be wretched, and one not.
The power that keeps cities of men together Is noble preservation of law.
Sufficiency’s enough for men of sense.