Ecclesiastes 12:9-11 New Living Translation (NLT)

9. Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them.

10. The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.

11. The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.

Ecclesiastes 12