Proverbs is my favorite book in the Bible. It is full of short, yet wise maxims that stick in your mind. The language is very honest, straight-forward and not short of wit and even humor. Although it is hard to pick, these make up my top ten list.

Proverbs (The Message)

27: 17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.

27: 21 The purity of silver and gold is tested by putting them in the fire; The purity of human hearts is tested by giving them a little fame.

27:1 Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow; you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.

27:19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.

16:9 We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it.

30:18 Three things amaze me, no, four things I’ll never understand— how an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do.

18:19 Do a favor and win a friend forever; nothing can untie that bond.

30:32 If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures, Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights.

18:8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?

18:9 Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism.