Wisdom Literature
18 books available
Instructional compositions of maxims, reflections, or exemplary cases addressing conduct and prudence. They arise in courtly, scribal, or household settings and frame ethical reasoning and practical judgment.
Mahabharata
Vyasa
200 BCE-400 CE
Indian, Hindu
Early Upanishads
Anonymous
300 BCE-200 CE
Indian, Hindu
Dhammapada
Anonymous
100 BCE
Indian, Buddhist
Heart Sutra
Anonymous
400-700 CE
Indian, Buddhist
Zhuangzi
Zhuang Zhou
300-200 BCE
East Asian, Chinese
Jātaka Tales
Anonymous
100 BCE-500 CE
Indian, Buddhist
Works and Days
Hesiod
700 BCE
Greek
Panchatantra
Vishnu Sharma
300-500 CE
Indian, Hindu
Hebrew Bible
Various
1000-200 BCE
Levantine, Hebrew
Ifá Corpus
Oral Tradition
1200-2000 CE
African, Yoruba
Huainanzi
Liu An
139-122 BCE
East Asian, Chinese
Flower Ornament Sutra
Anonymous
300-800 CE
Indian, Buddhist
Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra
Anonymous
300-500 CE
Indian, Buddhist
Georgics
Virgil
37-29 BCE
Roman
Liezi
Lie Yukou
300-400 CE
East Asian, Chinese
Instructions of Shuruppak
Anonymous
2600-1600 BCE
Mesopotamian, Sumerian
Menog-i Khrad
Anonymous
500-900 CE
Persian, Zoroastrian
Debate Between Sheep and Grain
Anonymous
2000-1500 BCE
Mesopotamian, Sumerian