I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.

I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

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.

Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.

In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand rest,
because you don’t know which will succeed,
whether one or the other,
or if both of them will be equally good.