Life is breath, because as long as breath resides in the body, so long does life reside. Lives the one without the gift of speech, sight, hearing, lives the mad, the one without hands and feet, but no one lives without breath. It is true that breath is knowledge, knowledge is breath, and study and training is asceticism.
Everyone's life is predestined for joy and worldly pleasures, but if these do not exist, and there is only fear and lies, then life is worse than death.
Life is one, bodies are many, truth is one, wanderings are many, knowledge is one, heresies are many. What sage brings it to an end amid so many contradictions?
The wound made by the arrow heals, the forest cut down by the ax grows back, but the wound made by the evil word is incurable.
The thorn, the chattering tooth, and the foolish counselor must be altogether removed—these are the conditions of peace.
Merits, these pleasant flowers of glory growing and piously gathered as a result of good deeds, show their prestige even in life.
Health is the greatest victory; contentment is the greatest wealth; trust is the most important relative; nirvana is the highest happiness.
Health, steadfastness, and strength are great joys, but they are useless without the joy of love.
Knowledge depends on learning, honor on deeds, prosperity on diligence, reward on fate.
Man has both the useful and the pleasant; but he separates them from each other. Because the wise person prefers the useful to the pleasant, while the fool, for the sake of worldly welfare, chooses the pleasant.
And if the reason is somewhere unseen, then how can you say for sure that it doesn't exist? For we may not see what exists for another reason, just as at the beginning of the day we do not see the bright disk of the sun.
This fortress is made of bones, plastered with flesh and blood; old age and death, deceit and pretense, are placed in it. Those who have not led a blameless life, who have not amassed riches in their youth will die, like the old fishermen on the shore of the lake where there are no fish.
Ormuzd is known to have created these earthly creatures through the power of innate reason. And heaven and earth are ruled by reason.
The truth, sooner or later, will come out anyway, while the lie will be reduced to dust and powder.
The true beauty of a woman lies in the gentleness of her behavior, and the charm in the gentleness of her words.
It is true that the great cannot be greedy.
Envy the wise and honest, beware of the wise and liar, weep for the honest and foolish, beware of the liar and foolish.
As water seeps into a house with a bad roof, so into an ill-cultivated mind lewd lust enters.
A wise word is hidden like an emerald. You can even find it on the slave who grinds wheat.
How unhappy is he who comes with a complaint! The fate of the unfortunate is to always ask for something.
Just as there is no use for a ring in the ear of a wild ass, so there is no use for a beautiful woman if she is crafty, without wisdom, licentious and talkative.
No matter how quick a man is to speak, sometimes he is too hasty in his thoughts. No matter how fast her heart responds to everything around her, you can't keep up with her passions.
The book is better than a painted tombstone and more durable than a wall. What is written in the book will bring to life the houses and the pyramids in the hearts of those who will repeat the names of the scribes, so that the truth will be on their lips
When in battle one is brave, the whole army is brave; when one is a coward all become cowards.
When he happens to fall, even the worthy man falls like an insignificant ball, like a lump of clay.
The one whom the gods want to lose, they take away his mind first, and he begins to see everything in a false light.
Horse, weapons, science, lute, speech, man and woman are good or bad - it all depends on how you deal with them.
Who will remove vices, if he who is obliged to fight vices is himself subject to them?
He who sees too far has no peace in his soul. So don't be sad before the time and don't be happy about what doesn't exist yet.
He who, knowing of the existence of a villainy and having the power to oppose it, did not do it, is equally guilty with the evil-doer.