10:1   Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.

10:2   It is natural for the wise to do the right thing and for fools to do the wrong thing.

10:3   Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.

10:4   If your ruler becomes angry with you, do not hand in your resignation; serious wrongs may be pardoned if you keep calm.

10:5   Here is an injustice I have seen in the world---an injustice caused by rulers.

10:6   Stupid people are given positions of authority while the rich are ignored.

10:7   I have seen slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves.

10:8   If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you.

10:9   If you work in a stone quarry, you get hurt by stones. If you split wood, you get hurt doing it.

10:10   If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.

10:11   Knowing how to charm a snake is of no use if you let the snake bite first.

10:12   What the wise say brings them honor, but fools are destroyed by their own words.

10:13   They start out with silly talk and end up with pure madness.

10:14   A fool talks on and on. No one knows what is going to happen next, and no one can tell us what will happen after we die.

10:15   Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.

10:16   A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long.

10:17   But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.

10:18   When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.

10:19   Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money.

10:20   Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.