Better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to heart. (Eccl. 7:2)
This proverb comes in a portion of Ecclesiastes that essentially argues, via a series of proverbial statements, that adversity can be more instructive than prosperity. There are times when sorrow is better than laughter (Eccl. 7:3), the rebuke of the wise is better than the song of fools (vs.5), and, as verse two states: it’s better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting (vs.2).
