Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 20

₁A person can be rebuked in the wrong way; it may be wiser to keep quiet than to speak. ₂But it is much better to rebuke the person than to keep your anger bottled up. ₃Admit when you are wrong, and you will avoid embarrassment. ₄Using force to get a point across is like a castrated man trying to rape a girl. ₅Some people are thought to be wise because they don't talk much; others are disliked because they talk too much. ₆Some people keep quiet because they don't have anything to say; others keep quiet because they know the right time to speak. ₇A wise person will not speak until the right moment, but a bragging fool doesn't know when that time is. ₈No one can stand a person who talks too long and will not give others a chance to speak.

₉Bad luck can sometimes lead to success, and a stroke of good luck can sometimes lead to loss.

₁₀Generosity will sometimes do you no good, but at other times it will repay you double.

₁₁Honour can be followed by disgrace, but there are people who have risen from obscurity to places of honour.

₁₂Sometimes what seems like a real bargain can turn out to be a very expensive mistake.

₁₃When a person with good judgement speaks, he wins friends. A stupid person, though, can shower compliments on everybody, and it won't help him a bit. ₁₄If such a person gives you something, it won't do any good; it won't be as valuable as he thinks it is. ₁₅He isn't generous with anything but criticism, which he will shout for all the world to hear. If he lends you something today, he'll want it back tomorrow. (Don't you hate people like that?) ₁₆Then that fool will say, “Nobody likes me. Nobody appreciates what I do for them. They'll take what I give them, but then talk about me behind my back.” ₁₇And he's right — he's a constant joke to everyone.

₁₈A slip of the tongue is worse than a slip on the pavement; the wicked will go to ruin just as suddenly as a person slips and falls.

₁₉An impolite person is like one of those indecent stories that ignorant people are always telling.

₂₀Nobody takes a proverb seriously when some fool quotes it at the wrong time.

₂₁If a person is too poor to afford sin, he can rest without a guilty conscience.

₂₂You can lose all your self-respect by being reluctant to speak up in the presence of stupidity.

₂₃If you promise a friend something because you are too bashful to say no, you're making an enemy needlessly.

₂₄Lying is an ugly blot on a person's character, but ignorant people do it all the time. ₂₅A thief is better than a habitual liar, but both are headed for ruin. ₂₆A liar has no honour. He lives in constant disgrace.

₂₇Speak wisely, and you will get ahead in the world. Influential people appreciate good sense. ₂₈They will excuse your errors if they like you, so cultivate the soil and reap the harvest!

₂₉Gifts and bribes make even the wise blind to the truth, and prevent them from being honest in their criticism.

₃₀Wisdom that is not expressed is like a treasure that has been hidden — both are useless. ₃₁But a person who covers up his foolishness is better than one who keeps his wisdom to himself.