Instruction of Ptahhotep

Instruction of Ptahhotep

The instruction of the governor of his city, the vizier Ptahhotep, in the reign of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Isesi, living forever and to the end of time.

The governor of his city, the vizier Ptahhotep, said:

O sovereign, my lord, the end of life is near. Old age has descended; weakness has come, and helplessness returns. The aged one lies down in misery every day. The eyes grow dim; the ears become deaf. Strength diminishes; the heart has no rest. The mouth is silent and speaks no word. The heart falters and does not remember yesterday. The bones ache throughout the body. Good becomes evil. All taste departs. These are the things old age does to humankind, evil in every way. The nose is stopped and breath is weak, whether one stands or sits.

Command me, your servant, therefore, to hand over my office to my son. Let me speak to him the words of those who listened to the counsel of the people of ancient times, those who once listened to the gods. May this be done, so that wrongdoing may be driven from people of understanding and the Two Lands may be enlightened.

Then the majesty of the king said: Instruct him in the words of ancient time. May he become a wonder among the children of officials, so that they may enter and listen with him. Make their hearts straight, and speak to him without causing weariness.

Here begin the sayings of good speech, spoken by the hereditary noble, the divine father, beloved of the god, the king's eldest bodily son, the governor of his city, the vizier Ptahhotep, instructing the ignorant in the knowledge of exact and good speech: the glory of the one who obeys and the shame of the one who transgresses.

He said to his son:

Do not be proud because you are learned. Take counsel with the ignorant as with the wise, for no limit can be set to skill, and no craftsman possesses complete mastery. Good speech is rarer than emeralds found by servant girls among the pebbles.

If you meet a disputant who is capable and wiser than you, lower your arms and bend your back. Do not be angry with him when he does not agree with you. Refrain from speaking against him; do not oppose him while he speaks. If he addresses you as one ignorant of the matter, your humility will overcome his contention.

If you meet a disputant who is your equal, one within your reach, do not remain silent when he says what is evil. Then you will prove wiser than he. The listeners will applaud, and your name will be good in the knowledge of the great.

If you meet a disputant who is poor and not your equal, do not despise him because he is lowly. Leave him alone, and he will confound himself. Do not question him merely to satisfy your heart, nor pour out your anger upon the one before you. It is shameful to humiliate a weak mind. If you are about to do what your heart desires, overcome it as something rejected by the great.

If you are a leader who directs the affairs of many, seek every excellent course, so that your conduct may be without fault. Great is Ma'at, enduring and effective. It has not been disturbed since the time of Osiris. The one who transgresses its laws is punished. The greedy may overlook it, but wrongdoing never brings its undertaking safely into harbour. A man may say, I will seize for myself; he does not say, I will gain because I am permitted. The boundaries of justice remain firm. This is what a man repeats from his father.

Do not inspire fear among people, for God answers such conduct in like manner. One man says, There is life in it, yet he is deprived of the bread of his mouth. Another says, There is power in it, and says, I seize for myself what I see, yet he is struck down. Another succeeds by giving to the one who has nothing. What people plan does not always happen; what God commands is what comes to pass. Therefore live in a house of kindness, and people will come and give gifts of themselves.

If you are among the guests of a man greater than yourself, accept what he gives you and set it before your mouth. Look toward what is before you, but do not pierce your host with many glances, for staring at him is offensive to the spirit. Do not speak until he addresses you, for one does not know what may be displeasing to him. Speak when he questions you, and your speech will please him. The noble who sits before food distributes it as his spirit moves him. He gives to the one whom he wishes to favour; this is the custom of the evening meal. It is his spirit that directs his hand. The noble gives; the subordinate does not seize. The eating of bread is under the ordering of God; only an ignorant man disputes it.

If you are an envoy sent from one noble to another, repeat exactly the words of the one who sent you. Deliver his message just as he gave it. Beware of creating hostility by your speech, setting one noble against another by distorting truth. Do not go beyond it. Do not repeat what anyone, whether prince or commoner, has said in opening his heart; this is abhorrent to the spirit.

If you have ploughed, gather your harvest in the field, and God will make it abundant in your hand. Do not fill your mouth at your neighbour's table. [Meaning uncertain.] If a crafty man possesses wealth, he steals like a crocodile from the priests.

Do not envy a man because he has no children, and do not despise him or quarrel with him because of it. A father, though great, may know grief; the mother of children may have less peace than another woman. Each person is created for his destiny by God, the leader of the household, in whom one may trust.

If you are lowly, serve a wise man, so that all your actions may be good before God. If you have known a man of little account who has been promoted, do not act arrogantly toward him because of what you knew about his former condition. Honour him according to what he has become.

Riches do not come by themselves; this is their rule for the one who desires them. If a man bestirs himself and gathers them, God may make him prosperous; but laziness brings its punishment.

Follow your heart during your lifetime, and do not exceed what has been commanded. Do not shorten the time of following the heart, for it is offensive to the spirit to take away its proper time. Do not consume more of the day in work than is needed to maintain your household. When wealth has been gained, follow the heart, for wealth is useless to one who is exhausted.

If you would be wise, raise a son who is pleasing to God. If he makes his course straight after your example and orders your affairs properly, do every good thing for him, for he is your son, begotten from your own being. Do not separate your heart from him, lest your own offspring curse you. But if he is heedless, transgresses your rule of conduct, is violent, and every word from his mouth is vile, correct him so that his speech may become fitting. Keep him away from those who despise what is commanded, for they make him rebellious. [Meaning uncertain.] Those who are guided do not go astray, but those who lose their bearings cannot find a straight road.

If you are in the council chamber, act according to the position assigned to you at the beginning of the day. Do not absent yourself, lest you be expelled. Be ready when entering and when making your report. Spacious is the seat of the one who speaks well. The council chamber acts by strict order, and all its plans follow proper method. It is God who advances a man to a seat there; it is not done for those who force their way forward.

When you are among people, make love for yourself, the beginning and end of the heart. The one who does not know his course will say when he sees you, The one who orders himself rightly becomes possessor of wealth; I will imitate his conduct. Your name will be good even when you do not speak. Your body will be fed, your face will be known among your neighbours, and you will be supplied with what you lack. But the man whose heart obeys his belly creates disgust instead of love. His heart is wretched, his body is heavy, and he is insolent toward those whom God has favoured. The one who obeys his belly has made an enemy of himself.

Report your actions without concealment. Make your conduct known when you consult with your lord. It is not wrong if the prince answers the messenger, I already know it, for what he knows does not include every detail. [Meaning uncertain.]

If you are a leader, ensure that the rules you have established are carried out. Do everything as one who remembers the days to come, when speech will no longer avail. Do not be excessive in granting favours, for this may produce dependence and neglect.

If you are a leader, be patient when you listen to the words of a petitioner. Do not make him hesitate to release what he has prepared to tell you. Desire instead to remove his injury. Let him speak freely, so that the purpose for which he came may be fulfilled. If a petitioner hesitates to open his heart, people will say, Is it because the judge himself commits wrong that those who suffer do not appeal to him? A well-instructed heart listens readily.

If you desire to preserve friendship in any house you enter, whether as master, brother, or friend, wherever you go, beware of approaching women improperly. No place in which this is done prospers. It is not wise to take part in it. Thousands of men have been ruined for the pleasure of a moment, brief as a dream. Even death may be reached through it; it is a wretched thing. The man of corrupt life is abandoned because of what he does and is avoided. When his desire is not satisfied, he respects no law.

If you desire your actions to be good, guard yourself from all malice and beware of greed, a grievous inner sickness. Do not allow yourself to fall into it. It creates conflict between fathers and sons, between a mother's relatives and those of her daughter-in-law; it separates wife from husband. It gathers every evil to itself; it is the binding cord of all wickedness. But the just man flourishes. Ma'at follows in his steps, and he makes his dwelling in it, not in the house of greed.

Do not be greedy concerning portions, seizing what is not your property. Do not covet what belongs to your neighbours. With a gentle person, praise accomplishes more than force. The greedy man leaves his neighbours empty-handed and without the power of persuasive speech. Even a little greed brings remorse when the belly has cooled.

If you would be wise, establish your household and love your wife within your embrace. Fill her stomach and clothe her back; oil is the remedy for her body. Gladden her heart throughout your lifetime, for she is a fruitful field for her lord. Do not be harsh with her, for gentleness influences her more than force. Give her what she longs for and what her eye desires; by this you will keep her in your house. [Text uncertain.]

Satisfy those who work for you from the goods you possess; this is the duty of one whom God has favoured. It is difficult to satisfy hired servants. One says, He is generous; no one knows what may come from him. But on the next day he says, He is strict and exacting. When favours have been shown to servants, they may still say, We are leaving. Peace does not dwell in a town where servants live in misery.

Do not repeat heated speech, nor listen to it, for it is the utterance of a body inflamed by anger. When such speech is repeated to you, do not listen; look toward the ground. Do not speak about it, so that the one before you may recognise wisdom. If you are commanded to commit theft, cause the command to be withdrawn, for theft is hateful according to law. What destroys clear sight is the veil laid over it.

If you would be wise and sit in council with your lord, apply your heart to perfection. Silence is more useful to you than an abundance of words. Consider how you may be opposed by an expert who speaks in council. It is foolish to speak about every kind of work, for the one who disputes your words will test them.

If you are powerful, make yourself worthy of honour through knowledge and gentleness. Speak with authority, not as though merely repeating orders, for one who cringes when placed high falls into error. Do not exalt your heart, lest it be brought low. Do not remain silent when speech is needed, but beware of interrupting and of answering words with heat. Put anger far from you and master yourself. The wrathful heart speaks fiery words; it rushes against the peaceful man who approaches and blocks his path.

The man who reckons accounts all day passes no happy hour. The man who gladdens his heart all day does not provide for his house. The archer strikes the mark and the helmsman reaches land through the changing of their aim. The one who masters his heart will command.

Do not hinder a great man when he is occupied, nor burden the heart of one already weighed down. He will become hostile toward the one who delays him, but will open himself to one who loves him. The ordering of spirits belongs to God, and what God loves is his creation. After a violent quarrel, therefore, withdraw in peace; be reconciled with the one who was hostile. Such conduct causes love to grow.

Teach a nobleman what is useful to him, and cause him to be accepted among people. Let his satisfaction rest upon his master, for your provision depends upon his favour. By it your belly will be filled and your back clothed. Let him receive your heart, so that your house and honour may flourish. He will extend a kindly hand to you and plant love for you in the bodies of your friends. Truly, it is a spirit that loves to listen. [Meaning uncertain.]

If you are the son of a man of rank and an envoy sent to reconcile the multitude, [text uncertain], speak without favouring one side. Let it not be said, His conduct is that of the nobles; he favours one side in his speech. Direct your purpose toward exact judgement.

If you have once been gracious and forgiven a man in order to guide him rightly, avoid reproaching him afterward. Do not remind him later of what he kept silent before you.

If you become great after having been of little account, and gain wealth after poverty, becoming foremost in the city and knowledgeable in useful matters, so that promotion comes to you, do not wrap your heart in your riches. You have become only the steward of God's provisions. You are not the last; another will become your equal, and the same fortune and station will come to him.

Bend your back before your superior, your overseer in the royal house, for your household depends upon his wealth and your wages upon his favour. How foolish is the one who quarrels with his superior, for a man lives only while his superior is gracious. [Text uncertain.]

Do not plunder the houses of tenants, and do not steal the property of a friend, lest he accuse you in your hearing and your heart be driven back. If he discovers it, he will act against you. Quarrelling in the place of friendship is foolish.

[Passage concerning sexual wrongdoing is damaged and cannot be responsibly restored.]

If you would discover the character of a friend, do not ask one of his companions. Spend time with him alone, so that you do not harm his affairs. Debate with him after a time; test his heart in an occasion of speech. When he has told you his past life, he has given you an opportunity either to be ashamed for him or to become familiar with him. Do not become reserved when he opens his speech, and do not answer him with scorn. Do not withdraw from him or interrupt him before his matter is finished, when it may still be possible to help him.

Let your face be bright while you live. What enters the storehouse must come out from it, and bread is to be shared. The one who is grasping in hospitality will himself have an empty belly. The one who creates strife comes to sorrow. Do not take such a man as your companion. A man's kindly deeds are what people remember in the years after his life.

Know well those who trade with you, for when your affairs are in difficulty, your good name among your friends is a channel filled with water. It is more important than a man's dignities, and one person's wealth passes to another. The good name of a man's son is a glory to him, and good character endures in remembrance.

Correct firmly, but instruct in proportion. Wrongdoing must be drawn out so that virtue may remain. This is not a matter of misfortune, for the one who continually opposes becomes a maker of strife.

If a woman has been shamed, one uncontrolled in heart and known by her townspeople to be falsely placed, be kind to her for a time. Do not send her away; give her food. The unrest of her heart will value your guidance. [Meaning uncertain.]

If you obey these things I have said to you, all your conduct will be excellent, for the quality of Ma'at is among their virtues. Establish their memory in the mouths of the people, for their sayings are good. No word written here shall cease from this land forever. They shall become a pattern by which officials speak well. They will teach a man how to speak after he has heard them; he will become skilled in listening and excellent in speaking. Good fortune will befall him, for he will attain high rank. He will be gracious to the end of his life and always content. His knowledge will guide him into a secure place where he will prosper on earth. The learned man will be content in his knowledge. The heart of the ruler will be glad and his tongue made straight. Through these sayings his lips will speak, his eyes will see, and his ears will hear what is useful for his son, so that he may act justly and without deceit.

Excellent is the obedience of an obedient son; he enters and listens obediently. Excellent in hearing and excellent in speaking is every man who obeys what is noble. The obedience of one who listens is a noble thing. Listening is better than all things; it creates goodwill.

How good it is that a son receive from his father that by which the father reached old age. What God desires is listening obedience; disobedience is abhorrent to God. It is the heart that causes its master to obey or disobey, for a man's secure and healthy life depends upon his heart. The obedient man listens to what is said; the one who loves to listen carries out commands. The one who obeys becomes one who is obeyed.

It is good when a son listens to his father, and the father who has spoken has great joy in it. Such a son will be gracious as a master, and the one who hears him will obey what he says. He will be sound in body and honoured by his father. His memory will remain in the mouths of the living upon earth as long as they exist.

Let a son receive the word of his father and not neglect any of his instructions. Teach your son in this way, for the obedient man is considered perfect by the great. If he directs his mouth according to what has been commanded, watchful and obedient, your son will be wise and his conduct fitting. Neglect leads to disobedience on the following day, but understanding establishes a man. The fool will be crushed.

The fool who does not listen accomplishes nothing. He regards knowledge as ignorance and what is useful as harmful. He commits every kind of error and is rebuked for it each day. He lives in death; it is his food. He marvels at confused speech as though it were the wisdom of princes, living in death every day. He is avoided because of his misfortunes and because of the many afflictions that come upon him daily.

A son who listens is like a Follower of Horus. He prospers after listening; he grows old and reaches honour and reverence. He repeats the same instruction to his sons and daughters, renewing the teaching of his father. Each man teaches as his begetter taught, repeating it to his children. Let them in turn speak with their sons and daughters so that they may be renowned in their deeds. Let what you say implant truth and justice in the lives of your children. Then the highest authority will come to them and wrongdoing will depart from them. Those who see these things will say, Surely this man has spoken well, and they will act likewise. All people will declare, These are the ones who shall guide the multitude; dignities are not complete without them.

Do not remove any word and do not place one saying in the place of another. Beware of opening [meaning uncertain] within yourself. Be cautious in speech when a learned man listens to you. Desire to be established for good in the mouths of those who hear you speak. If you enter as an expert, speak with exact lips so that your conduct may be fitting.

Let your heart be full, but restrain your mouth. Let your conduct be exact among nobles and fitting before your lord, doing what he has commanded. Such a son will speak to those who listen to him, and his father will be favoured. Apply your heart when you speak to saying things that cause the nobles who listen to declare, How excellent is what comes from his mouth!

Carry out the command of your lord. How good is the teaching of a man's father, for the son has come from him, and the father spoke concerning him while he was still unborn. What is done for the son is greater than what is merely commanded. A good son is a gift of God. He does more than is required of him; he does what is right and places his heart into all his ways.

If you attain my position, your body will flourish, the king will be satisfied with all you do, and you will gather years of life no fewer than those I have passed upon earth. I have gathered one hundred and ten years of life, for the king bestowed favours upon me beyond those given to my ancestors, because I practised Ma'at and justice for the king until old age.

It is finished from its beginning to its end, exactly as found in writing.