7. Trying to teach a fool is like gluing a broken pot together again, like waking someone out of a deep sleep.
8. Explaining something to a fool is like explaining it to a sleepy person; when you have finished, he'll say, “What was that again?”
11. We mourn for the dead because they have no access to light. We ought to mourn for fools, because they have no access to intelligence. In fact, we should go into deeper mourning for fools, because the life they lead is worse than death. The dead are at least at rest.
12. For seven days we mourn the dead, but a foolish or ungodly person causes a lifetime of grief.
13. Don't visit stupid people or spend a lot of time talking with them. Avoid them; then they can't contaminate you, and you can live in peace without being troubled or worn down by their foolishness.
14. Such people are a heavier burden to bear than lead; and the only word that fits them is “fools.”
15. It is easier to carry a load of sand, salt, and iron than to put up with a stupid person.
16. A wooden beam can be put into a building so firmly that an earthquake cannot shake it loose; a person can be trained to use reason and good sense so well that he keeps his head when a crisis comes.