Ecclesiastes 1:14-16 New English Translation (NET)

14. I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth,and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile – like chasing the wind!

15. What is bent cannot be straightened,and what is missing cannot be supplied.

16. I thought to myself,“I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”

Ecclesiastes 1