Mishnah 7 - Chapter 2 - Pirkei Avot

Hu hayah omer. Marbeh vasar marbeh rimmah. Marbeh nechasim, marbeh de'agah. Marbeh nashim, marbeh cheshafim. Marbeh shefachot, marbeh zimmah. Marbeh avadim, marbeh gazel. Marbeh torah, marbeh chayim. Marbeh yeshivah, marbeh chochmah. Marbeh etzah, marbeh tevunah. Marbeh tzedakah, marbeh shalom. Kanah shem tov, kanah le'atzmo. Kanah lo divrei torah, kanah lo chayei ha'olam habba.

He used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; The more property, the more anxiety; The more wives, the more witchcraft; The more female slaves, the more lewdness; The more slaves, the more robbery; [But] the more Torah, the more life; The more sitting [in the company of scholars], the more wisdom; The more counsel, the more understanding; The more charity, the more peace. If one acquires a good name, he has acquired something for himself; If one acquires for himself knowledge of torah, he has acquired life in the world to come.

He who increases flesh increases worms. [One who eats and drinks overmuch until he becomes fat and fleshy increases worms for himself in the grave, and "worms are as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living." This tanna comes to apprise us that all indulgences are detrimental to a man except indulgence in Torah, in wisdom, and in charity.] He who increases possessions increases worry, [lest they rob him or lest highwaymen fall upon him and kill him. (A certain chasid would pray: "May He preserve me from 'scattering my soul.'" When he was asked: "What is 'scattering of soul'?" He answered: "Having many possessions scattered in many places and having to 'scatter' one's soul to think in this direction and that."] He who increases wives increases witchcraft. He who increases maidservants increases lewdness. He who increases manservants increases theft. [The rationale for the sequence is as follows: First a man primps himself and eats and drinks and increases flesh. Then he seeks to increase possessions, and after he does so, he sees that he has enough to feed many wives. After he increases wives, each one needs a maidservant, which he supplies. Since he has many household members, he requires fields and vineyards to supply them with wine and food, and he increases servants to work the fields and the vineyards — thus the sequence.] He who increases Torah increases life, [as it is written (Deuteronomy 30:20): "For it is your life and the length of your days."] He who increases sitting (and learning) increases wisdom. [Many disciples gather and come to hear his conjectures. Some understand it as: He who increases disciples increases wisdom, for they sharpen him and add to his wisdom.] He who increases (the taking of) counsel increases understanding [one thing from another through the counsels of his advisers]. He who increases charity increases peace, [as it is written (Isaiah 32:17): "And the act of charity will be (i.e., will lead to) peace."] He who acquires a good name acquires it for himself. He who acquires words of Torah acquires for himself life in the world to come.