baltasar gracian: the art of worldly wisdom

baltasar gracian might not be a name you’ll hear rolling off the lips of your family or friends but he had many sage and insightful words that i would like to share with you here. gracian is most widely known for a book he assembled entitled the art of worldly wisdom. the following thoughts are excerpted from that text.

"fortune pays you sometimes for the intensity of her favours by the shortness of their duration. she soon tires of carrying any one long on her shoulders."
- baltasar gracian a Spanish Jesuit scholar who lived from 1601 till 1658:

more words from gracian generously assembled by joseph oster over at wingo.com

"the world is in chaos. honourable dealing is deteriorating, good friends are few, truth is held in disrepute, good service is underpaid, poor service is overpaid. whole nations are committed to evil dealings: with one you fear insecurity, with another, inconsistency, with a third, betrayal. this being what it is, let the bad faith of others serve not as an example, but as a warning. the real danger of the situation lies in the unhinging of your own integrity: accepting less than your best, being overly tolerant of stupidity, forgiving incompetence, fraternizing with the nonspiritual. the man of principle never forgets what he is, because he clearly sees what the others are."

~ "all has reached perfection, and becoming a true person is the greatest perfection of all...."

~ "character and intelligence. the poles your talent spins on, displaying your gifts. one without the other brings only half success...."

~ "better to be intensive than extensive. perfection isn't quantity, but quality...."

~ "never exaggerate. it isn't wise to use superlatives. they offend the truth and cast doubt on your judgment...."

~ "know how to wait. it shows a great heart with deep reserves of patience. never hurry and never give way to your emotions...."

~ "eminence in what is best. amid different sorts of perfection, this is a rarity...."

~ "never complain. complaints always discredit you. rather than compassion and consolation, they provoke passion and insolence, and encourage those who hear our complaints to behave like those we complain about."

~ "leave people hungry. leave nectar on their lips. esteem is measured in desire...."

~ "many pleasant things are better when they belong to someone else. you can enjoy them more that way. the first day, pleasure belongs to the owner after that, to others...."

~ "know how to transplant yourself. there are entire people who are esteemed only after transplanting themselves, and this is especially true in high places. some people were scorned in their own little corner of the world but achieved worldly eminence...."

~speak prudently: cautiously to your rivals, and with dignity to everyone else. there is always time to utter a word, and never time to take it back...."