52.   Cruelty, causeless quarrels, the desire for another’s wife or money, envy of the good, or of one’s own relatives. These are the natural characteristics of wicked men.

53.   An evil man should be avoided though he be adorned with learning. Is a snake less feared because it is ornamented with jewels?

54.   The moderate man’s virtue is called dulness; the man who lives by rigid vows is considered arrogant; the pureminded is deceitful; the hero is called unmerciful; the sage is contemptuous; the polite man is branded as servile, the noble man as proud; the eloquent man is called a chatterer; freedom from passion is said to be feebleness. Thus do evil-minded persons miscall the virtues of the good.

55.   If a man be greedy, what further vice can he have? What sin can be worse than backbiting? What need has the truthful man of penances? What need has the pureminded man of a sacred bathing-place? What virtue is beyond generosity? If there be greatness of mind, what adornment is required? If a man be learned, what necessity is there of the society of others? If disgrace overtake a man, why need he fear death?

56.   The moon obscured by the daylight, a woman no longer young, a pond destitute of water-lilies, a handsome man who talks nonsense, a prince entirely devoted to money, a good man always in calamity, an evil man dwelling in a kings court–these are seven thorns in my mind.

57.   A king full of wrath hath no friend. The sacred fire burns even the priest who offers the sacrifice if he touches it.

58.   The man who preserves a respectful silence is considered dumb; the man who talks agreeably is considered forward; the man who stands close by is thought troublesome; he who stands far off, cold-hearted; the patient man is counted as faint-hearted; the impetuous man is called illbred. So difficult, indeed, are the laws by which behaviour is regulated, impossible to be learnt even by an ascetic.

59.   Is it possible to take pleasure in the society of a low man, dissolute, whose evil is all evident, whose wicked acts are the result of former births, who hates virtue, and who lives by chance?

60.   The friendships formed between good and evil men differ. The friendship of the good, at first faint like the morning light, continually increases; the friendship of the evil at the very beginning is great, like the light of midday, and dies away like the light of evening.

61.   Deer, fish, and virtuous men, who only require grass, water, and peace in the world, are wantonly pursued by huntsmen, fishermen, and envious people.