Become placeless, for to change this place of water and clay is but to move from one prison to another.

Formerly, people used to grieve over the departed, but in our days they grieve over the survivors.

To the seeker after pearls, silence is a speaking argument, for no breath comes forth from the diver of the sea.

The roots of the aged palm tree exceed those of the young one; the old have a greater attachment to the world.

The touchstone of false friends is the day of need: by way of proof, ask a loan from your friends.

What does it profit you that all the libraries of the world should be yours? Not knowledge but what one does with knowledge is your profit.

Flowers and fruit are never combined in one place: it is impossible that teeth and delicacies should exist simultaneously.