Unknown

"A man who does not value his god is thrown out in the desert; his body is not buried and his heir does not provide his ghost with drinking water through a libation pipe."

"Pleasure is created. Sins are absolved. Life is rejuvenated."

"A younger brother should honour an older brother. He should treat him with human dignity."

"A man without a personal god does not procure much food, does not procure even a little food. Going down to the river, he does not catch any fish. Going down to a field, he does not catch any gazelle. In important matters he is unsuccessful. When running, he does not reach his goal. Yet were his god favourable toward him, anything he might name would be provided for him."

"One should pay attention to an old man's words. One should submit oneself to his protection."

"Let just men be born in good health, and let their lives last long."

"A child should behave with modesty toward his mother. He should take the older generation into consideration."

"The palace is a forest, and the king is a lion."

"When liars enter by the city gate, in front of them there is a finger pointing at them, behind them there is a finger pointing at them."

"Strength cannot keep pace with intelligence."

"Utu, the lord who loves justice, extirpates wickedness and prolongs righteousness."

"That which matches my tears hurts my heart alike."

"He who has nothing cannot let go of anything."

"To be wealthy and demand more is an abomination to a god."

"When battle approaches, when war arises, the plans of the gods, beloved by the gods, are destroyed."

"By following craftiness, one learns how to be crafty. By following wisdom, one learns how to be wise."

"A plant sweeter than a husband, a plant sweeter than a child: may Ezina-Kusu dwell in your house."

"The voice of the frog is the glory of the marsh waters."

"Your role in life is unknown."

"Let him who has a household go to his household! Let him who has a household and a mother go to his mother!"

"Loving and comforting are vitality."

"Talking endlessly is what humankind has most on its mind."

"A clown made fun of the city. They made fun of him and he wept."

"The voice of the duck is the glory of the marshes."

"Do not be hostile to the weakling; do not cry for the strong one."

"I prostrate myself for the sake of Gula, my lady, but in my own eyes I don't have a place to stand."

"The voice of the forest kujanun bird is the glory of the tamarisks."

"Who can compare with justice? It creates life."

"My king, the lord perfect in heaven, built a house in the barren marshes."

"The god of the river ordeal will admire the hearts of those who bear words of truth."

"May Lumma grant prosperity to him who performs good deeds."

"Whenever wickedness may cause trouble, Utu will not be idle!"

"To the trustworthy man belongs a divine voice. The barge on the river and the chariot on the road come to him."

"The rich man's heart is sick, it is very sick indeed."

"Fear of god creates good fortune. Lamentation absolves sin. Offerings extend life."

"A stake, my lord; "hero" is its name."

"If a man does not treasure his god, that man will not be buried. His heir will not provide him with water libations."

"To remove something from its proper place is an abomination to Ninurta."

"Although the number of unhappy days is endless, yet life is better than death."

"Utu's glance is prayerful. Utu's heart is compassionate. A devotee of Utu is among the holy. Allotted by Utu to be fortunate, a [...] ship reaches the quay."

"To take revenge is an abomination to Ninurta."

"He who despises a just decision, who loves wicked decisions, is an abomination to Utu."

"When a trustworthy boat sets sail, Utu seeks out a trustworthy harbour for it."

"The heart does not let go of the good. [...] As if it were a fertile spot, the heart does not abandon the good."

"Good is in the hands. Evil is also in the hands."

"Accept your lot and make your mother happy! Run fast and make your god happy!"

"Whatever I say, I will say it twice, and then I will repeat it again."

"A judge who despises justice, cursing with the right hand, and the chasing away of a younger son from the house of his father are abominations to Ninurta."

"The liar is quarrelsome. He always lies. He always slanders. Treacherous! Malicious! Shifty-eyed!"

"When I was a Christian I used to say, as did an uncle of mine who was one of the learned and eloquent men, that eloquence is not one of the signs of prophethood because it is common to all the peoples; but when I discarded (blind) imitation and (old) customs and gave up adhering to (mere) habit and training and reflected upon the meanings of the Qur'an I came to know that what the followers of the Qur'an claimed for it was true. The fact is that I have not found any book, be it by an Arab or a Persian, an Indian or a Greek, right from the beginning of the world up to now, which contains at the same time praises of God, belief in the prophets and apostles, exhortations to good, everlasting deeds, command to do good and prohibition against doing evil, inspiration to the desire of paradise and to avoidance of hell-fire as this Qur'an does. So when a person brings to us a book of such qualities, which inspires such reverence and sweetness in the hearts and which has achieved such an everlasting success and he is (at the same time) an illiterate person who did never learnt the art of writing or rhetoric, that book is without any doubt one of the signs of his Prophet-hood."