Ecclesiastes 7:4

4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 7:4

The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning
When his body is not; when it does not suit him to go thither in person, his mind is there, and his thoughts are employed on the useful subjects of the frailty and mortality of human nature, of death, a future judgment, and a world to come; which shows him to be a wise man, and concerned for the best things, even for his eternal happiness in another state; but the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth;
where jovial company is, merry songs are sung, and the cup or glass passes briskly round, and all is gay and brilliant: here the fool desires to be oftener than he is, and when he cannot; which shows the folly of his mind, what a vain taste he has, and how thoughtless he is of a future state, and of his eternal welfare.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 In-Context

2 Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
3 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
6 For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.