Wisdom: The sage said, “If affairs unfold in accordance with Allah’s allotment, then strenuous striving is forbidden and the one who abandons it is praiseworthy. And if the times refuse to move with you as you desire, then move with the times as they desire, for the human being is a slave of time, while time is the enemy of the human being; with every breath one draws, a measured portion of life is spent and death draws nearer.”

Wisdom: A circle of sages once questioned Buzurjmehr, saying, “Teach us, from the gates of wisdom, what benefits our souls and bodies so that we may apply ourselves to it, and what harms us so that we may keep away from it.” He replied, “Know with certainty that:

• Four things brighten the eye and sharpen the sight: verdure, running water, a clear drink, and gazing upon the faces of loved ones.
• Four things dim that light: eating salted and cured meat, pouring water over the head, constantly staring at the sun, and beholding an enemy.
• Four things fatten and nourish the body: soft clothing, a mind free of sorrow, a pleasant fragrance, and sleeping in a warm place.
• Four things weaken and waste the body away: eating cured meat, excessive sexual intercourse, lingering long in the bathhouse, and sleeping late in the afternoon.
• Four things keep the body in lasting health: taking one’s food at its proper time, maintaining moderation in all things, steering clear of arduous labor, and avoiding grief without cause.
• Four things continually break the body: travelling difficult roads, riding a refractory horse, walking while exhausted, and intercourse with elderly women.
• Four things give life to the heart: a sound intellect, a learned teacher, a trustworthy partner and compatible wife, and a helpful friend.
• Four things kill it: the bitter cold of zamharīr, the scorching heat of samūm, foul smoke, and fear of an enemy.”

Socrates the wise said, “There are five things by which a person ruins himself: deceit…"