Verse 24 for 24 January, 2026

24. If the one who does no wrong Follows one who is evil, He himself will be suspected of evil And his reputation will decline. According to the friends one makes, According to who one follows, So does one become. Like one's associates one becomes. Follower and following, Toucher and touched alike, An arrow smeared with poison Infects those arrows that are not poisoned, So that all are fouled. The upright person not wishing to be soiled Should not keep company with the fool. If one strings a piece of putrid fish On a blade of kusa grass, The grass will smell putrid too; The same with one who follows the fool. If one wraps frankincense In an ordinary kind of leaf, The leaf will soon smell sweet too; The same with one who follows the wise. Remembering the example of the leaf wrapping And understanding the results, One should seek companionship with the wise, Never with the fool.

Itivuttaka 68 ::

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