A lord will never achieve his goalwhen his own people are hostile towards him.

11. On Kings and Princes

No one ought to praise himself;he who is worthy will be praised by others.

5. On Praise

The world strives hardFor goods, smartness, and honor.I know well that no person of this worldWill ever get enough of those three.

13. On the world

Some study the starsAnd tell us what soon will happen.But if they were to tell me also something from near-by,what herbs are growing in their garden,and if they then tell it correctly,I will more easily believe the other things.

2. On the Soul

Hunger is the best cook among those who ever existed or ever will be.

1. On Hunger

The mouse dislikes raising childrenWhen it knows that cats are nearby.

9. On Animals

He who wants to take care of everything,will end up with all kinds of worries.

4. On Worries

Many people have numerous friends,as long as his life runs smoothly,but among them are very fewWho will stand by him in an emergency.

7. On Friends

We have all been given a false consolation:we all believe that we will live a long life.

8. On Death

Around the year 1230, a collection of proverbs and thoughts were put together by a German poet named Freidank. He called the work Bescheidenheit, and it became very popular in the Middle Ages, as it can be found in 197 manuscripts from the period.

13 Pieces of Wisdom from the 13th century

Who always intends to avengewhat people might say negatively about him,will rarely be free of experiencing envy,and a ton of bickering.

12. On Envy and Jealousy

A dense forest suffers little,then a man collects wood.That a rich man loses a little,makes a poor many happy.

3. On the Rich and the Poor

Whatever great treasure is found by the fool,it will quickly fall into the hand of the wise one.

6. On Wise and Foolish People

Freidank wrote about a wide variety of topics, offering thoughts or advice. They have been recently translated by Albrecht Classen, who describes the writer this way: “here we encounter a medieval poet who, certainly a devout Christian, perceptively grasped all the shortcomings in life and dealt with them in a philosophical manner. Little wonder that posterity admired him greatly because his verses contain much obvious and subtle wisdom.”Here are 13 pieces of wisdom from Bescheidenheit:

Many believe that they know meWho have never learned to understand themselves.If each person were to learn more about himself,People would rarely lie to each other.

13 Pieces of Wisdom from the 13th century

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