1. Guard wisdom carefully (1-11)

Although wisdom is better than strength and better than folly, a little folly can destroy what was gained with wisdom, just as surely as a dead fly can give even the best smelling perfume a bad odor. We should therefore guard our wisdom carefully, and pray for wisdom from God above all other things. Verses 8-11 teach that without the exercise of wisdom, life can become dangerous!

2. Words from the wise are gracious (12-20)

The Teacher teaches in these verses that we should be careful both with the words we use and with the words we listen to. We never know who might be listening to what we say (20). Our words can get us into trouble. Words from wise mouths are a blessing. But words from fools are "wicked madness". Wise rulers are a blessing to the land. But when the king is a fool, the citizens are in trouble.