Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Whatever has been is far off, deeply remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it [for it is beyond the grasp of man]?

I turned around and directed my heart to know, to investigate and to seek [skillful and godly] wisdom and the reason for things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [leading to stupidity and recklessness].

Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,

which my soul continually searches for but does not find: among a thousand people I have found one true man, but among all these I have not found a true woman.

The Preacher made search for words which were pleasing, but his writing was in words upright and true.