truthful speech and winning people’s goodwill.”
He then asked, “What is justice?” He replied, “To relinquish self-interest and to keep one’s conduct and convictions sound.”
He said, “What is equity?” “Treating all litigants alike when they lay claim to something.”
He asked, “What is humiliation?” “Illness brought on by empty hands and the brokenness that comes from scant provision.”
He asked, “What is greed?” “The sharp edge of desire in men.”
He asked, “What is trustworthiness?” “Discharging what is due.”
He asked, “What is betrayal?” “Procrastination despite having the ability to act.”
He asked, “What is understanding?” “Contemplation and grasping things in their true reality.”
Wisdom: The sage said, “Eight things bring disgrace upon those who do them: a man’s sitting at a table to which he was not invited; assuming command in another man’s house; hoping for kindness from one’s enemies; listening in on the conversation of two who have not included him; belittling the ruler; taking a seat above one’s rank; speaking to people who pay no heed; and befriending someone unworthy of friendship.”
Wisdom: Bozorjmehr was asked, “What is it that disfigures a person even when it is true?” He answered, “A man praising himself. You will never find a miser who is praised, nor an angry man who is delighted, nor a rational man who is covetous, nor a generous man who is envious, nor a despairing man who is lofty, nor a fickle man who keeps a friend.”
Wisdom: The sage said, “Five people rejoice at five things and then regret them afterward: the lazy man when opportunities pass him by; the one who cuts himself off from his brothers when hardship strikes; the man who gains an opening against his enemies yet fails to seize it; he who is afflicted with a wicked wife and then thinks of the righteous woman he might have married; and the righteous man who commits sins.”
Wisdom: Bozorjmehr was asked, “Does wealth overturn the hearts of scholars?” He replied, “Whoever’s heart is overturned by wealth is no scholar.”
Wisdom: The sage said, “Open rebuke is better than hidden rancor.”
Wisdom: Bozorjmehr said, “There are three whose portion in this world is grief and sorrow: a lover parted from his beloved; a tender father from whom his child is lost; and a rich man who has become poor.”