Sacred texts · Judaism
Jewish wisdom: Pirkei Avot quotes, Proverbs and Maimonides
Jewish wisdom is found first in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job, and then in the Mishnah, where Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers, gathers the sayings of the early rabbis. “If I am not for myself who is for me?” asks Hillel, one of its best known teachers. The tradition continues with thinkers such as Maimonides.
This page gathers quotes from Pirkei Avot in Charles Taylor’s translation (1897), verses from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Jewish Publication Society’s 1917 translation, and passages from Maimonides translated by M. Friedländer (1903) and Simon Glazer (1927). Every text was checked word for word against a public-domain edition. They are short enough to memorize and rich enough to study for a lifetime.
Pirkei Avot quotes: Hillel, Shammai and the first sages
The first two chapters of Pirkei Avot trace a chain of teachers, from Simeon the Righteous to Hillel and his students. Their sayings are short and practical: love peace, judge others favorably, say little and do much, and remember that you don’t have to finish the work, but you can’t walk away from it.
On three things the world is stayed; on the Thorah, and on the Worship, and on the bestowal of Kindnesses.
Make unto thyself a master; and possess thyself of an associate; and judge every man in the scale of merit.
Be of the disciples of Aharon; loving peace, and pursuing peace; loving mankind.
If I am not for myself who is for me? and being for my own self what am I? If not now when?
Say little and do much; and receive every man with a pleasant expression of countenance.
On three things the world stands; on Judgment, and on Truth, and on Peace.
Excellent is Thorah study together with worldly business.
Judge not thy friend until thou comest into his place.
In a place where there are no men endeavour to be a man.
More Thorah, more life: more wisdom, more scholars: more righteousness, more peace.
If thou hast practised Thorah much, claim not merit to thyself, for thereunto wast thou created.
Go and see which Is the good way that a man should cleave to. Rabbi Li’ezer said, A good eye: R. Jehoshua' said, A good friend: and R. Jose said, A good neighbour: and R. Shime’on said, He that foresees what is to be: R. La’zar said, A good heart.
Let the honour of thy friend be dear unto thee as thine own; and be not easily provoked.
Let the property of thy friend be precious unto thee as thine own.
It is not for thee to finish the work, nor art thou free to desist therefrom.
Pirkei Avot quotes: who is wise, who is mighty, who is rich
Chapters three to five gather the teachings of Rabbi Akiva, Ben Zoma and later sages. Ben Zoma’s questions are among the best known: who is wise, who is mighty, who is rich. Each answer turns the usual idea of success upside down.
Pray for the peace of the kingdom.
With whomsoever the spirit of men is pleased, the Spirit of God is pleased.
Receive every man with cheerfulness.
Tradition is a fence to Thorah; tithes are a fence to wealth; vows a fence to sanctity; a fence to wisdom is silence.
Everything is foreseen; and freewill is given. And the world is judged by grace.
Who is wise? He that learns from every man.
Who is mighty? He that subdues his nature.
Who is rich? He that is contented with his lot.
Despise not any man, and carp not at any thing; for thou wilt find that there is not a man that has not his hour, and not a thing that has not its place.
Be beforehand in saluting every man.
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth.
Regard not the flask, but what is therein.
The wise man speaks not before one who is greater than he in wisdom; and does not interrupt the words of his companion; and is not hasty to reply; he asks according to canon, and answers to the point.
All love which depends on some thing, when the thing ceases, the love ceases; and such as does not depend on anything, ceases not for ever.
Be bold as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and fleet as a hart, and strong as a lion, to do the will of thy Father which is in Heaven.
At forty, discernment: at fifty, counsel: at sixty, age: at seventy, hoariness: at eighty, power.
According to the toil is the reward.
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the JPS 1917 translation
These verses come from the wisdom books of the Hebrew Bible. Proverbs gives practical advice about speech, friendship and anger; Ecclesiastes, Kohelet in Hebrew, looks at life with clear eyes and still recommends joy. Each verse can stand on its own.
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; Bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that obtaineth understanding.
Above all that thou guardest keep thy heart; For out of it are the issues of life.
Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all transgressions.
A soft answer turneth away wrath; But a grievous word stirreth up anger.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
A friend loveth at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue Keepeth his soul from troubles.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; And the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider.
Maimonides on contentment, character and kindness
Moses Maimonides, the twelfth-century rabbi, physician and philosopher, wrote the Guide for the Perplexed and the Mishneh Torah. These passages are about wanting less, greeting people warmly, answering slowly and caring for the vulnerable.
All the difficulties and troubles we meet in this respect are due to the desire for superfluous things: when we seek unnecessary things, we have difficulty even in finding that which is indispensable.
With very slight exertion man can obtain it, so long as he is contented with that which is indispensable.
Man’s existence is nevertheless a great boon to him, and his distinction and perfection is a divine gift.
When man is in good health and prosperous, he enjoys the company of his friends; in time of trouble he is in need of them; in old age, when his body is weak, he is assisted by them.
Man shall not be frivolous and sarcastic, nor sad and pessimistic, but of good cheer.
Receive every person with a kind expression upon his face.
Silence is the boundary of wisdom; therefore shall one not reply in haste.
He should be first to greet every person, so that their spirit be pleased with him.
A man is obliged to watch out for orphans and widows, for their soul is very lowly.
Even as a little fagot kindles the big one, so a small disciple sharpens the mind of the master to the end that he brings forth from him by his questions a beautified wisdom.
How to study these texts of Jewish wisdom
Jewish tradition loves to study in pairs, in chavruta: two people read the same text, ask each other questions and test their readings against each other. You can try it with a friend or family member, starting from a single saying on this page: what does it say, who is it speaking to, what would it change this week?
On your own, keep a notebook: copy one saying on Sunday and note each evening a moment when it guided you. Maimonides asks for slower reading; read the whole sentence, then put it in your own words before moving on to the next one.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pirkei Avot?
Pirkei Avot, often translated Ethics of the Fathers or Sayings of the Fathers, is a tractate of the Mishnah devoted to ethics. It collects teachings of rabbis from roughly the third century BCE to the third century CE. Many Jewish communities read a chapter of it on Sabbath afternoons in the weeks between Passover and Shavuot.
What does “If I am not for myself who is for me?” mean?
The saying comes from Hillel in Pirkei Avot 1:14. Its three questions hold together caring for yourself, not living only for yourself, and not putting off what matters: “If not now when?” It is often read as a call to take responsibility for your own life while staying open to others.
Which translations are used on this page?
Pirkei Avot is quoted in Charles Taylor’s 1897 translation, the Bible verses in the Jewish Publication Society’s 1917 translation, and Maimonides in the translations of M. Friedländer (1903) and Simon Glazer (1927). All are in the public domain, and each text was compared word for word with an edition published by Sefaria.