Instructions of Kagemni

[3] Only the end of this teaching text has survived; on the Prisse Papyrus, it is followed by the complete version of The Maxims of Ptahhotep.

[5] Kagemni is hinted as being the pupil rather than the teacher of virtues and morals in the text, and it has been proposed by scholars that his father was Kaire, a sage mentioned in the Ramesside-era Eulogy of Dead Writers (Papyrus Chester Beatty IV).

[7] Written as a pragmatic guidebook of advice for the son of a vizier, the Instructions of Kagemni is similar to The Maxims of Ptahhotep.

"[8] Kagemni advises that one should follow a path of modesty and moderation, which is contrasted with things to avoid: pride and gluttony.

[10] According to Miriam Lichtheim, the virtuous "silent man" first described in Kagemni "was destined for a major role in Egyptian morality.