Dhammapada · 8.2

Sahassamapi ce gāthā, anatthapadasaṃhitā;Ekaṃ gāthāpadaṃ seyyo, yaṃ sutvā upasammati.

Sahassamapi ce gatha, anatthapadasamhita; Ekam gathapadam seyyo, yam sutva upasammati.

Better than a thousand verses composed of useless words is one verse-line of meaning, hearing which one becomes calm.

— Dhammapada 8.2

Source: Pali text from the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Pali Canon (oldest extant Buddhist scripture, compiled c. 3rd century BCE). Public-domain English readings drawn from F. Max Müller's translation in Sacred Books of the East, Vol X (1881) and the Buddhist Publication Society's freely-licensed Acharya Buddharakkhita rendering.