11. No one remembers the men of long ago. Even those who haven't been born yet won't be remembered by those who will be born after them.
12. I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13. I spent all of my time studying. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on men!
14. I've seen what is done on this earth. It doesn't have any meaning. It's like chasing the wind.
15. People can't straighten things that are twisted. They can't count things that don't even exist.
16. I said to myself, "Look, my wisdom has really been growing. In fact, I'm now wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge."