Never expose yourself unnecessarily to danger; a miracle may not save you...and if it does, it will be deducted from your share of luck or merit. Man has three friends on whose company he relies. First, wealth - which goes with him only while good fortune lasts. Second, his relatives - they go only as far as the grave and leave him there. The third friend, his good deeds, go with him beyond the grave. Life is so short we must move very slowly. He who adds not to his learning diminishes it. For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned it is the season of the harvest. Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow.' Who is a wise man? He who learns of all men. He who carries out one good deed acquires one advocate in his own behalf, and he who commits one transgression acquires one accuser against himself. Repentance and good works are like a shield against calamity. He who adds not to his learning diminishes it. He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to what may he be likened? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few. The wind comes along and uproots it and sweeps it down. | 
