Compiled from public domain English translations
Book I: The Morals of Kings
1. The Advice of Alexander
They asked Alexander the Great: "By what means did you conquer the world?" He replied: "By mercy to the conquered and fidelity to my promises to enemies."
2. The Just King
It is said that there was a Persian king whose kingdom prospered and whose people lived in peace. Someone asked him: "What is your secret?" He said: "Every morning I ask myself three questions: What good have I done for my people today? What just words have I spoken? Have I wronged anyone out of self-interest?"
3. The Tyrant's End
I have heard that a tyrant imposed heavy taxes on his people and cruel tortures on his opponents. His vizier counseled him: "O King, do not oppress your people thus, for if the roots of a tree rot, the branches cannot survive." The tyrant paid no heed. Soon the people rose in revolt, the tyrant was overthrown, and his head was hung from the city gate.
Saadi says: Tyranny is the shortest-lived form of government.
4. Dara and the Shepherd
It is said that King Dara (Darius III) was separated from his retinue while hunting and came upon a shepherd. He asked the shepherd for water, and the shepherd brought him a bowl of clear water. Dara said: "Do you not know that I am the king?" The shepherd said: "I know. But your mouth is as thirsty as mine." Dara was greatly moved and rewarded the shepherd.
Book II: The Morals of Dervishes
5. The Ascetic and the Thief
A dervish was practicing asceticism in the wilderness, owning only a ragged cloak and a wooden bowl. A thief came in the night, and the dervish said: "You come at the perfect moment—I was just worrying that these things were too heavy. Please, take them." The thief left in shame.
6. The Scholar's Self-Examination
A scholar was preaching from the pulpit, his words flowing like honey. A poor man stood up and said: "O scholar, your words are as sweet as honey, but your deeds are as sour as vinegar." The scholar hung his head in shame.
7. True Worship
Someone asked the Caliph Ali: "What is the best kind of worship?" He said: "The kind that makes you forget you are worshipping."
Book V: On Love and Youth
8. The Nature of Love
Someone asked Saadi: "What is love?" He said: "Love is a sweet affliction. It makes the strong weak and the weak strong. It makes the wise foolish and the foolish wise. It is the greatest contradiction in the world, and the greatest truth."
9. Parting
Saadi says: The most painful thing in the world is not to fail to obtain the beloved, but to have possessed and then lost. The pain of not having is longing; the pain of having had is a wound. Longing can be endured, but a wound never heals.
Conclusion
Saadi writes at the end of the book:
I did not write this book to gain fame, but because I saw too much injustice, too much ignorance, too much self-righteousness in the world. If these words can prevent one person from making one mistake, my labor has not been in vain. The flowers of the rose garden will fade, but their fragrance will endure. The body of man will perish, but his good words will remain.
Compiled from various 19th-century public domain English translations of the Golestan, including those by James Ross (1823) and others.