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“As for any people who would enter this tomb unclean and do something evil to it, there will be judgment against them by the great god.
INSCRIPTION OF HETEP-HER-AKHET”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“I have come from my town,
I have descended from my nome,
I have done justice for its lord,
I have satisfied him with what he loves.
I spoke truly, I did right,
I spoke fairly, I repeated fairly,
I seized the right moment,
So as to stand well with people.
I judged between two so as to content them,
I rescued the weak from one stronger than he
I gave bread to the hungry, clothes (to the naked),
I brought the boatless to land.
I buried him who had no son,
I made a boat for him who lacked one.
I respected my father, I pleased my mother.
I raised their children.
So says he whose nickname is Sheshi.
INSCRIPTION OF NEFER-SESHEM-RE CALLED SHESHI”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“I have come here from my city,
I have descended from my nome;
I have built a house, set up (its) doors,
I have dug a pool, planted sycamores.
The king praised me,
My father made a will for me.
I was one worthy ---
One beloved of his father,
Praised by his mother,
Whom all his brothers loved.
I gave bread to the hungry,
Clothing to the naked,
I brought the boatless to land.
O you who live upon earth,
Who shall pass by this tomb
Going north or going south,
Who shall say: "a thousand loaves and beer jugs
For the owner of this tomb,"
I shall watch over them in the necropolis.
I am an excellent equipped spirit (akh),
A lector-priest who knows his speech.
As for any man who enters this tomb unclean,
I shall seize him by the neck like a bird,
He will be judged for it by the great god!
I was one who spoke fairly, who repeated what was liked,
I never spoke evilly against any man to his superior,
Never did I judge between two [contenders]
In a manner which deprived a son of his father's legacy.
Harkhuf”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“May you cross the sky united in the dark,
May you rise in Iightland, the place in which you shine!
Horus, go proclaim to the powers of the east
And their spirits:
This Unas comes, a spirit indestructible,
Whom he wishes to live will live,
Whom he wishes to die will die!

UNAS PYRAMID TEXTS
Utterance 217
Sarcophagus Chamber, South Wall
The king joins the sun-god”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Awake in peace, you of back-turned face, in peace,
You who looks backward, in peace,
Sky's ferryman, in peace,
Nut's ferryman, in peace,
Ferryman of gods, in peacel!
Unas has come to you
That you may ferry him in this boat in which you ferry the gods.
Unas has come to his side as a god comes to his side,
Unas has come to his shore as a god comes to his shore.
No one alive accuses Unas,
No dead accuses Unas;
No goose accuses Unas,
No ox accuses Unas
If you fail to ferry Unas,
He will leap and sit on the wing of Thoth.s
Then he will ferry Unas to that side

Utterance 270
Antechamber, South Wall
The king summons the ferryman”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Unas eats their magic, swallows their spirits:
Their big ones are for his morning meal,
Their middle ones for his evening meal,
Their little ones for his night meal,
And the oldest males and females for his fuel

Utterances 273·274
Antechamber, East WaU
The kingfeeds on thegods”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The dignities of Unas will not be taken from him,
For he has swallowed the knowledge of every god;
Unas's lifetime is forever, his limit is eternity
In his dignity of "If-he-likes-he-does if-he-hates-he-does-not,"
As he dwells in lightland for all eternity.
Lo, their power is in Unas's belly,
Their spirits are before Unas as broth of the gods,
Cooked for Unas from their bones.
Lo, their power is with Unas,
Their shadows (are taken) from their owners,
For Unas is of those who risen is risen, lasting lasts.
Not can evildoers harm Unas's chosen seat
Among the living in this land for all eternity!

Utterances 273·274
Antechamber, East WaU
The king feeds on the gods”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Hail to the herbs within you!
Welcome is the pure to me

Utterance 304
Antechamber, North Wall
The king climbs to the sky on a ladder”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Unas is lord of seed who takes wives from their husbands,
Whenever Unas wishes, as his heart urges.

Utterance 317
Entrance to the Antechamber, West Wall
The king appears as the crocodile-god Sobk”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Rise up,
0 Teti, you shall not die!

Utterance 373
Antechamber, West Wall
The king is raised from his tomb”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“If you love life, 0 Horus, upon his life staff of truth
Do not lock the gates of heaven ,
Do not bolt its bars,

Utterance 440
Sarcophagus Chamber, West Wall
The king asks for admittance to the sky”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Cleanse yourself before your (own) eyes,
Lest another cleanse you.
When you prosper, found your household,
Take a hearty wife, a son will be born you.
It is for the son you build a house,
When you make a place for yourself.
Make good your dwelling in the graveyard,
Make worthy your station in the West.
Given that death humbles us,
Given that life exalts us,
The house of death is for life.
Seek for yourself well-watered fields,
Choose for him, a plot among your fields,
Well-watered every year.
He profits you more than your own son,
Prefer him even to your [heir].

The Instruction of Prince Hardjedef”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“When you drink with a drunkard.
Take when his heart is content.

THE INSTRUCTION ADDRESSED TO KAGEMNI
Papyrus Prisse, pp. 1-2
Fragment”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“There is no speedy advance except at its proper time.
- Alan Henderson Gardiner”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The cardinal virtues are self-control, moderation,
kindness, generosity, justice, and truthfulness tempered by discretion”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The ideal man is a man of peace.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP

Instruction of the Mayor of the city, the Vizier Ptahhotep, under the Majesty of King Isesi, who lives for all eternity. The mayor of the city, the vizier Ptahhotep, said:

O king, my lord!
Age is here, old age arrived.
Feebleness came, weakness grows,
Childtike one sleeps all day.
Eyes are dim, ears deaf.
Strength is waning through weariness,
The mouth, silenced, speaks not,
The heart, void, recalls not the past,
The bones ache throughout.
Good has become evil, all taste is gone,
What age does to people is evil in everything.
The nose, clogged, breathes not,
Painful are standing and sitting.

May this servant be ordered to make a staff of old age,
So as to teil him the words of those who heard,
The ways of the ancestors,
Who have listened to the gods.
May such be done for you.
So that strife may be banned from the people,
And the Two Shores may serve you!
Said the majesty of this god:
Instruct him then in the sayings of the past,
May he become a model for the children of the great,
May obedience enter him,
And the devotion of him who speaks to him,
No one is born wise.

Beginning of the formulations of excellent discourse spoken by the Prince, Count, God's Father, God's beloved, Eldest Son of the King, of his body, Mayor of the city and Vizier, Ptahhotep, in instructing the ignorant in knowledge and in the standard of excellent discourse, as profit for him who will hear, as woe to him who would neglect them. He spoke to his son:

Don’t be proud of your knowledge.
Consult the ignorant and the wise;
The limits of art are not reached,
No artist’s skills are perfect;
Good speech is more hidden than greenstone,
Yet may be found among maids at the grindstones.

If you meet a disputant in action,
A powerful man, superior to you.
Fold your arms, bend your back,
To flout him will not make him agree with you.
Make little of the evil speech
By not opposing him while he's in action;
He will be called an ignoramus,
Your self-control will match his pile (of words).

If you meet a disputant in action
Who is your equal, on your level,
You will make your worth exceed his by silence,
While he is speaking evilly,
There will be much talk by the hearers.
Your name will be good in the mind of the magistrates.

If you meet a disputant in action,
A poor man, not your equal.
Do not attack him because he is weak,
Let him alone, he will confute himself.
Do not answer him to relieve your heart,
Do not vent yourself against your opponent,
Wretched is he who injures a poor man,
One will wish to do what you desire.
You will beat him through the magistrates� reproof.

If you are a man who leads,
Who controls the affairs of the many,
Seek out every beneficent deed,
That your conduct may be blameless.
Great is justice, lasting in effect,
Unchallenged since the time of Osiris.
One punishes the transgressor of laws,
Though the greedy overlooks this;
Baseness may seize riches,
Yet crime never lands its wares;
In the end it is justice that lasts,
Man says: “It is my father's ground.�

Do not scheme against people,
God punishes accordingly:
If a man says: “I shall live by it,�
He will lack bread for his mouth.
If a man says: “I shall be rich'
He will have to say: “My cleverness has snared me.�
If he says: “I will snare for myself,�
He will be unable to say: “I snared for my profit.�
If a man says: "I will rob someone,�
He will end being given to a stranger.
People’s schemes do not prevail,
God’s command is what prevails;
Live then in the midst of peace,
What they give comes by itself.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Part II

If you are one among guests
At the table of one greater than you,
Take what he gives as it is set before you;
Look at what is before you,
Don’t shoot many glances at him,
Molesting him offends the ka.
Don’t speak to him until he summons,
One does not know what may displease;
Speak when he has addressed you,
Then your words will please the heart.
The nobleman, when he is behind food,
Behaves as his ka commands him;
He will give to him whom he favors,
It is the custom when night has come.
It is the ka that makes his hands reach out,
The great man gives to the chosen man;
Thus eating is under the counsel of god,
A fool is who complains of it.

If you are a man of trust,
Sent by one great man to another,
Adhere to the nature of him who sent you.
Give his message as he said it.
Guard against reviling speech,
Which embroils one great with another;
Keep to the truth, don't exceed it,
But an outburst should not be repeated.
Do not malign anyone,
Great or small, the ka abhors it.

If you plow and there’s growth in the field,
And god lets it prosper in your hand,
Do not boast at your neighbors� side,
One has great respect for the silent man:
Man of character is man of wealth.
If he robs he is like a crocodile in court.
Don’t impose on one who is childless,
Neither decry nor boast of it;
There is many a father who has grief,
And a mother of children less content than another;
It is the lonely whom god fosters,
While the family man prays for a follower.

If you are poor, serve a man of worth,
That all your conduct may be well with the god.
Do not recall if he once was poor,
Don’t be arrogant toward him
For knowing his former state;
Respect him for what has accrued to him.
For wealth does not come by itself.
It is their law for him whom they love,
His gain, he gathered it himself ;
It is the god who makes him worthy
And protects him while he sleeps.

Follow your heart as long as you live,
Do no more than is required,
Do not shorten the time of “follow-the-heart,�
Trimming its moment offends the ka
Don’t waste time on daily cares
Beyond providing for your household;
When wealth has come, follow your heart,
Wealth does no good if one is glum!

If you are a man of worth
And produce a son by the grace of god,
If he is straight, takes after you,
Takes good care of your possessions.
Do for him all that is good,
He is your son, your ka begot him,
Don’t withdraw your heart from him.
But an offspring can make trouble:
If he strays, neglects your counsel,
Disobeys all that is said,
His mouth spouting evil speech,
Punish him for all his talk
They hate him who crosses you,
His guilt was fated in the womb;
He whom they guide can not go wrong,
Whom they make boatless can not cross.

If you are in the antechamber,
Stand and sit as fits your rank
Which was assigned you the first day.
Do not trespass � you will be turned back,
Keen is the face to him who enters announced,
Spacious the seat of him who has been called.
The antechamber has a rule,
All behavior is by measure;
It is the god who gives advancement,
He who uses elbows is not helped.

If you are among the people,
Gain supporters through being trusted
The trusted man who does not vent his belly’s speech,
He will himself become a leader,
A man of means � what is he like ?
Your name is good, you are not maligned,
Your body is sleek, your face benign,
One praises you without your knowing.
He whose heart obeys his belly
Puts contempt of himself in place of love,
His heart is bald, his body unanointed;
The great-hearted is god-given,
He who obeys his belly belongs to the enemy.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Part III

Report your commission without faltering,
Give your advice in your master’s council.
If he is fluent in his speech,
It will not be hard for the envoy to report,
Nor will he be answered, "Who is he to know it ?�
As to the master, his affairs will fail
If he plans to punish him for it.
He should be silent upon (hearing): "I have told.�

If you are a man who leads.
Whose authority reaches wide,
You should do outstanding things,
Remember the day that comes after.
No strife will occur in the midst of honors,
But where the crocodile enters hatred arises.

If you are a man who leads.
Listen calmly to the speech of one who pleads;
Don’t stop him from purging his body
Of that which he planned to tell.
A man in distress wants to pour out his heart
More than that his case be won.
About him who stops a plea
One says: “Why does he reject it ?�
Not all one pleads for can be granted,
But a good hearing soothes the heart.

If you want friendship to endure
In the house you enter
As master, brother, or friend,
In whatever place you enter,
Beware of approaching the women!
Unhappy is the place where it is done.
Unwelcome is he who intrudes on them.
A thousand men are turned away from their good:
A short moment like a dream,
Then death comes for having known them.
Poor advice is “shoot the opponent,�
When one goes to do it the heart rejects it.
He who fails through lust of them,
No affair of his can prosper.

If you want a perfect conduct,
To be free from every evil,
Guard against the vice of greed:
A grievous sickness without cure,
There is no treatment for it.
It embroils fathers, mothers,
And the brothers of the mother,
It parts wife from husband;
It is a compound of all evils,
A bundle of all hateful things.
That man endures whose rule is rightness,
Who walks a straight line;
He will make a will by it,
The greedy has no tomb.

Do not be greedy in the division.
Do not covet more than your share;
Do not be greedy toward your kin.
The mild has a greater claim than the harsh.
Poor is he who shuns his kin,
He is deprived of 'interchange'
Even a little of what is craved
Turns a quarreler into an amiable man.

When you prosper and found your house,
And love your wife with ardor,
Fill her belly, clothe her back,
Ointment soothes her body.
Gladden her heart as long as you live,
She is a fertile held for her lord.
Do not contend with her in court,
Keep her from power, restrain her �
Her eye is her storm when she gazes �
Thus will you make her stay in your house.

Sustain your friends with what you have,
You have it by the grace of god;
Of him who fails to sustain his friends
One says, “a selfish ka".
One plans the morrow but knows not what will be,
The ( right) ka is the ka by which one is sustained.
If praiseworthy deeds are done,
Friends will say, “welcome!�
One does not bring supplies to town,
One brings friends when there is need.

Do not repeat calumny.
Nor should you listen to it,
It is the spouting of the hot-bellied.
Report a thing observed, not heard,
If it is negligible, don’t say anything.
He who is before you recognizes worth.
lf a seizure is ordered and carried out,
Hatred will arise against him who seizes;
Calumny is like a dream against which one covers the face.

If you are a man of worth,
Who sits in his master’s council.
Concentrate on excellence,
Your silence is better than chatter.
Speak when you know you have a solution,
It is the skilled who should speak in council;
Speaking is harder than all other work.
He who understands it makes it serve.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Part IV

If you are mighty, gain respect through knowledge
And through gentleness of speech.
Don’t command except as is fitting,
He who provokes gets into trouble.
Don't be haughty, lest you be humbled,
Don’t be mute, lest you be chided.
When you answer one who is fuming,
Avert your face, control yourself.
The flame of the hot-heart sweeps across.
He who steps gently, his path is paved.
He who frets all day has no happy moment,
He who’s gay all day can’t keep house.

Don’t oppose a great man’s action.
Don’t vex the heart of one who is burdened;
If he gets angry at him who foils him,
The ka will part from him who loves him.
Yet he is the provider along with the god,
What he wishes should be done for him.
When he turns his face back to you after raging,
There will be peace from his ka;
As ill will comes from opposition,.
So goodwill increases love.

Teach the great what is useful to him,
Be his aid before the people;
If you Set his knowledge impress his lord,
Your sustenance will come from his ka
As the favorite's belly is filled.
So your back will be clothed by it,
And his help will be there sustain you.
For your superior whom you love
And who lives by it,
He in turn will give you good support.
Thus will love of you endure
In the belly of those who love you,
He is a ka who loves to listen.

If you are a magistrate of standing.
Commissioned to satisfy the many,
Hew a straight line,
When you speak don't lean to one side.
Beware lest one complain:
“Judges, he distorts the matter!�
And your deed turns into a judgment (of you).

If you are angered by misdeed.
Lean toward a man account of his rightness;
Pass it over, don’t recall it,
Since he was silent to you the first day

If you are great after having been humble,
Have gained wealth after having been poor
In the past, in a town which you know,
Knowing your former condition.
Do not put trust in your wealth,
Which came to you as gift of god;
So that you will not fall behind one like you,
To whom the same has happened,

Bend your back to your superior,
Your overseer from the palace;
Then your house will endure in its wealth.
Your rewards in their right place.
Wretched is he who opposes a superior,
One lives as long as he is mild,
Baring the arm does not hurt it
Do not plunder a neighbor’s house,
Do not steal the goods of one near you,
Lest he denounce you before you are heard
A quarreler is a mindless person,
If he is known as an aggressor
The hostile man will have trouble in the neighborhood.

This maxim is an injunction against illicit sexual intercourse. It is
very obscure and has been omitted here.

If you probe the character of a friend,
Don’t inquire, but approach him,
Deal with him alone,
So as not to suffer from his manner.
Dispute with him after a time,
Test his heart in conversation;
If what he has seen escapes him,
If he does a thing that annoys you,
Be yet friendly with him, don’t attack;
Be restrained, don’t let fly,
Don’t answer with hostility,
Neither part from him nor attack him;
His time does not fail to come,
One does not escape what is fated

Be generous as long as you live,
What leaves the storehouse does not return;
It is the food to be shared which is coveted.
One whose belly is empty is an accuser;
One deprived becomes an opponent,
Don’t have him for a neighbor.
Kindness is a man’s memorial
For the years after the function.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Part V

Know your helpers, then you prosper,
Don’t be mean toward your friends,
They are one’s watered field,
And greater then one’s riches.
For what belongs to one belongs to another.
The character of a son-of-man is profit to him;
Good nature is a memorial,

Punish firmly, chastise soundly;
Then repression of crime becomes an example;
Punishment except for crime
Turns the complainer into an enemy.

If you take to wife a Spnt
Who is joyful and known by her town,
If she is fickle and likes the moment.
Do not reject her, let her eat,”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Epilogue
Part I

If you listen to my sayings.
All your affairs will go forward;
In their truth resides their value,
Their memory goes on in the speeds of men,
Because of the worth of their precepts;
If every word is carried on.
They will not perish in this land.
If advice ıs given for the good,
The great will speak accordingly;
It is teaching a man to speak to posterity,
He who hears it becomes a master-hearer;
It is good to speak to posterity,
It will listen to it.

If a good example is set by him who leads,
He will be beneficent for ever,
His wisdom being for all time.
The wise feeds his ba with what endures,
So that it is happy with, him on earth.
The wise is known by his wisdom,
The great by his good actions;
His heart matches his tongue.
His lips are straight when he speaks;
He has eyes that see,
His ears are made to hear what will profit his son.
Acting with truth he is free of falsehood.

Useful is hearing to a son who hears;
If hearing enters the hearer,
The hearer becomes a listener.
Hearing well is speaking well.
Useful is hearing to one who hears,
Hearing is better than all else,
It creates good will.
How good for a son to grasp his father’s words,
He will reach old age through them.

He who hears is beloved of god,
He whom god hates does not hear.
The heart makes of its owner a hearer or non-hearer,
Man’s heart is his life-prosperity-health!
The hearer is one who hears what is said.
He who loves to hear is one who does what is said.
How good for a son to listen to his father.
How happy is he to whom it is said:
“The son, he pleases as a master of hearing.�
The hearer of whom this is said,
He is well-endowed
And honored by his father;
His remembrance is in the mouth of the living.
Those on earth and those who will be.

If a man’s son accepts his father's words.
No plan of his will go wrong.
Teach your son to be a hearer,
One who will be valued by the nobles;
One who guides his speech by what he was told,
One regarded as a hearer.
This son excels, his deeds stand out.
While failure follows him who hears not.
The wise wakes early to his lasting gain,
While the foot is hard pressed.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Epilogue
Part II

The fool who does not hear,
He can do nothing at all;
He sees knowledge in ignorance,
Usefulness in harmfulness.
He does all that one detests
And is blamed for it each day;
He lives on that by which one dies.
His food is distortion of speech.
His sort is known to the officials,
Who say: "A living death each day.�
One passes over his doings,
Because of his many daily troubles.

A son who hears is a follower of Horus,
It goes well with him when he has heard.
When he is old has reached veneration.
He will speak likewise to his children,
Renewing the teaching of his father.
Every man teaches as he acts,
He will speak to the children,
So that they will speak to their children:
Set an example, don’t give offense,
If justice stands firm your children will live.

As to the first who gets into trouble,
When they see (it) people will say:
“That is just like him.�
And will say to what they hear:
"That’s just like him too.�

To see everyone is to satisfy the many,
Riches are useless without them.
Don’t take a word and then bring it back,
Don’t put one thing in place of another.
Beware of loosening the cords in you,
Lest a wise man say:
“Listen, if you want to endure in the mouth of the hearers.
Speak after you have mastered the craft!�
If you speak to good purpose.
All your affairs will be in place.

Conceal your heart, control your mouth.
Then you will be known among the officials;
Be quite exact before your lord.
Act so that one will say to him: "He’s the son of that one.�
And those who hear it will say:
“Blessed is he to whom he was born!�
Be deliberate when you speak,
So as to say things that count;
Then the officials who listen will say:
“How good is what comes from his mouth!�
Act so that your lord will say of you:
“How good is he whom his father taught;
When he came forth from his body.
He told him all that was in (his) mind,
And he does even more than he was told,�

Lo, the good son, the gift of god,
Exceeds what is told him by his lord,
He will do right when his heart is straight.
As you succeed me, sound in your body.
The king content with all that was done.
May you obtain (many) years of life!
Not small is what I did on earth,
I had one hundred and ten years of life
As gift of the king,
Honors exceeding those of the ancestors,
By doing justice for the king.
Until the state of veneration!”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“All forms of evil which people hate have been suppressed.

THE FIRST PART OF THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ANKHTIFI”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“As to everyone on whom I placed my hand, no misfortune ever befell him, because my heart was sealed and my counsel excellent. But as to any fool, any wretch, who stands up in opposition. I shall give according as he gives. “O woe,â€� will be said of one who is accused by me, his will take water like a boat. For I am a champion without peer!

THE FIRST PART OF THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ANKHTIFI”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“I did not seize a man's daughter, nor did I seize his field

STELA OF THE TREASURER ITI OF IMYOTRU”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Good nature is a man’s heaven,
The cursing of the [furious] is painful.
If you are skilled in speech, you will win,
The tongue is [a king’s] sword;
Speaking is stronger than all fighting,
The skillful is not overcome.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“See, their words endure in books,
Open, read them, copy their knowledge,
He who is taught becomes skilled.
Don’t be evil, kindness is good,
Make your memorial last through love of you.
Increase the [people], befriend the town,..”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Strengthen your borders, your frontier patrols;
It is good to work for the future.
One respects the life of the foresighted,
While he who trusts fails.
Make people come [to you] through your good nature,
A wretch is who desires the land [of his neighbor],
A fool is who covets what others possess.
Life on earth passes, it is not long,
Happy is he who is remembered,”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Is there [a man] who lives forever ?
He who comes with Osiris passes,
Just as he leaves who indulged himself.
Advance your officials, so that they act by your laws.
He who has wealth at home will not be partial.
He is a rich man who lacks nothing.
The poor man does not speak justly,
Not righteous is one who says, “I wish I had,�
He inclines to him who will pay him.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“God smites the rebels in blood.
He who is merciful lifetime;
Do not kill a man whose virtues you know.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“On the day of judging the miserable,
In the hour of doing their task.
It is painful when the accuser has knowledge,
Do not trust in length of years,
They view a lifetime in an hour!”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Copy your fathers, your ancestors,
See, their words endure in books,
Open, read them, copy their knowledge,
He who is taught becomes skilled.
Don’t be evil, kindness is good..”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Wealthy is he who is rich in his nobles.
Speak truth in your house.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Do justice, then you endure on earth; Calm the weeper, don’t oppress the widow,”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Beware of punishing wrongfully,
Do not kill, it does not serve you.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The bet comes to the place it knows,
It does not miss its former path,
No kind of magic holds it back
It comes to those who give it water.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“He who reaches them without having done wrong
Will exist there like a god.
Free-striding like the lords forever!”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Choose a man on account of his skills.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Make your monuments [worthy] of the god, This keeps alive their maker’s name,..”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Endow your monuments according to your wealth.
Even one day gives to eternity,
An hour contributes to the future,
God recognizes him who works for him.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Be merciful on account of it,
renew the treaties.
No river lets itself be hidden,
It is good to work for the future.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Do not build your tomb out of ruins,
(Using) what had been made for what is to be made.
Behold, the king is lord of joy,
You may rest, sleep in your strength,
Follow your heart, through what I have done, There is no foe within your borders.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“As a man's name is not made small by his actions.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The foe loves destruction and misery.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“He who is silent toward violence diminishes the offerings.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“He will find no favor on the day of woe.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“There is no one who has no enemy.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“A goodly office is kingship,
It has no son, no brother to maintain its memorial.
But one man provides for the other;
A man acts for him who was before him,
So that what he has done is preserved by his successor.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“There was retribution for what I had done, For it is evil to destroy,
Useless to restore what one has damaged, To rebuild what one has demolished.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms