O soul! if thou art wise and intelligent,
Make not choice of the society of the ignorant.
Dart from the ignorant, as it were an arrow;
Mix not with them, as it were sugar and milk.
If thou hast a dragon for a friend in the cave,
It is better than to have an ignorant associate.
If the enemy of thy soul be intelligent,
It is better than an ignorant friend.
From the ignorant proceed nought but bad deeds,
And no one hath heard therefrom but base words.
No one in the world is so despicable as the ignorant,
For nothing is more worthless than ignorance.
The end of the ignorant will be the abode of the lost,
For the ignorant seldom end life well.
It is best that the ignorant should be abased,
For it is fitting that the ignorant should find disgrace.
It is well to shun the ignorant,
For from them will arise disgrace in this world and the next.