Baltasar Gracian Quotes

Watchfulness is the only guard against cunning. Be intent on his intentions. Many succeed in making others do their own affairs, and unless you possess the key to their motives you may at any moment be forced to take their chestnuts out of the fire to the damage of your own fingers.

Dreams will get you nowhere, a good kick in the pants will take you a long way.

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one.

Do not commit yourself to anybody or anything, for that is to be a slave, a slave to every man Above all, keep yourself free of commitments and obligations - they are the device of another to get you into his power

It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.

He that can live alone resembles the brute beast in nothing, the sage in much, and God in everything.

Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.

Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.

The wise have a solid sense of silence and the ability to keep a storehouse of secrets. Their capacity and character are respected.

Know or listen to those who know.

To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.

Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.

Don't show off every day, or you'll stop surprising people. There must always be some novelty left over. The person who displays a little more of it each day keeps up expectations, and no one ever discovers the limits of his talent.

There are friendships merely for pleasure, some for the exchange of ideas. Rarest are those friends of one's inmost self.

Keep the extent of your abilities unknown.The wise man does not allow his knowledge and abilities to be sounded to the bottom, if he desires to be honored at all. He allows you to know them but not to comprehend them. No one must know the extent of his abilities, lest he be disappointed. No one ever has an opportunity of fathoming him entirely. For guesses and doubts about the extent of his talents arouse more veneration than accurate knowledge of them, be they ever so great.

A single lie destroys a whole reputation for integrity.

Know how to play the card of contempt. It is the most politic kind of revenge. For there are many of whom we should have known nothing if their distinguished opponents had taken no notice of them. There is no revenge like oblivion, for it is the entombment of the unworthy in the dust of their own nothingness.

Always act as if you were seen.

It is a great piece of skill to know how to guide your luck even while waiting for it.

The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.

One must pass through the circumference of time before arriving at the center of opportunity.

Do not be inaccessible. None is so perfect that he does not need at times the advice of others. He is an incorrigible ass who will never listen to any one. Even the most surpassing intellect should find a place for friendly counsel. Sovereignty itself must learn to lean. There are some that are incorrigible simply because they are inaccessible: They fall to ruin because none dares to extricate them. The highest should have the door open for friendship; it may prove the gate of help. A friend must be free to advise, and even to upbraid, without feeling embarrassed.

Don't take the wrong side of an argument just because your opponent has taken the right side.

Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong.

Always leave something to wish for; otherwise you will be miserable from your very happiness.

Help others solve their problems; standing farther away, you can often see matters more clearly than they do. . . The greatest service you can render someone else is helping him or her help themselves.

Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.

The greatest service you can render someone else is helping him help himself.

Put a grain of boldness into everything you do.

Truth is for the minority.

Respect yourself if you would have others respect you.

Harness the imagination, for she is the whole of happiness.

Words are feminine; deeds are masculine.

At twenty a man is a peacock, at thirty a lion, at forty a camel, at fifty a serpent, at sixty a dog, at seventy an ape, at eighty a nothing at all.

True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.

A man of honour should never forget what he is because he sees what others are.

Know how to ask. There is nothing more difficult for some people, nor for others, easier.

True knowledge lies in knowing how to live.

Friendship multiplies blessings and...soothes the soul.

Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets.

To oblige people often costs little and helps much.

Better mad with the rest of the world than wise alone.

Treat your enemies with courtesy, and you'll see how valuable it really is. It costs little but pays a nice dividend: those who honor are honored. Politeness and a sense of honor have this advantage: we bestow them on others without losing a thing.

Fortunate people often have very favorable beginnings and very tragic endings. What matters isn't being applauded when you arrive - for that is common - but being missed when you leave.

When a man's knowledge is deep, he speaks well of an enemy. Instead of seeking revenge, he extends unexpected generosity. He turns insult into humor, ... and astonishes his adversary who finds no reason not to trust him.

A bad manner spoils everything, even reason and justice; a good one supplies everything, gilds a No, sweetens a truth, and adds a touch of beauty to old age itself.

The path to greatness is along with others.

Life is a warfare against the malice of others.

Don't express your ideas too clearly. Most people think little of what they understand, and venerate what they do not.