John Gill Commentary Ecclesiastes 7:8

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; [and] the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." — Ecclesiastes 7:8 (ASV)

Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof
If the thing is good, other ways the end of it is worse; as the end of wickedness and wicked men, whose beginning is sweet, but the end bitter; yea, are the ways of death, (Proverbs 5:4) (16:25) ; and so the end of carnal professors and apostates, who begin in the Spirit, and end in the flesh, (Galatians 3:3) (2 Peter 2:20 2 Peter 2:21) ; but the end of good things, and of good men, is better than the beginning; as the end of Job was, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual, (Job 8:7) (42:12) ; see (Psalms 37:37) (Matthew 10:22) (Luke 16:25) ;

[and] the patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit ;
patience is a fruit of the Spirit of God; and is of great use in the Christian's life, and especially in bearing afflictions, and tends to make men more humble, meek, and quiet; and such are highly esteemed of God; on them he looks, with them he dwells, and to them he gives more grace; when such who are proud, and elated with themselves, their riches or righteousness, are abominable to him; see (Luke 16:15) (18:14) .