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Quotes from The Art of Worldly Wisdom — Baltasar Gracián

1601–1658 Spain

← All quotes by Baltasar Gracián

29 quotes

Politeness and a sense of honor have this advantage: we bestow them on others without losing a thing.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

When you counsel someone, you should appear to be reminding him of something he had forgotten, not of the light he was unable to see.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Some marry the first information they receive, and turn what comes later into their concubine. Since deceit is always first to arrive, there is no room left for truth.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

The one rule for pleasing: whet the appetite, keep people hungry.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

If you cannot make knowledge your servant, make it your friend.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Those who want to look like hard workers give the impression that they aren't up to their jobs.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

The person who does not know how to put up with others should retire into himself, if indeed he can suffer even himself.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Knowing how to keep a friend is more important than gaining a new one.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Better to be cheated by the price than by the merchandise.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Do something well, and that is quickly enough.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

To overvalue something is a form of lying.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Some die because they feel everything, others because they feel nothing. Some are fools because they suffer no regrets, and others because they do.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Let him that hath no power of patience retire within himself, though even there he will have to put up with himself.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Because the ignorant do not know themselves, they never know for what they are lacking. Some would be sages if they did not believe they were so already.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Imagination travels faster than sight. Deceit comes in through the ears, but usually leaves through the eyes.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

The staleness of custom weakens admiration, and a mediocrity that's new often eclipses the highest excellence grown old.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Not believing others implies that you yourself are deceitful. The liar suffers twice: he neither believes nor is believed.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

All victories breed hate, and that over your superior is foolish or fatal.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Many owe their greatness to their enemies. Flattery is fiercer than hatred, for hatred corrects the faults flattery had disguised.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

An ounce of prudence is worth a pound of cleverness.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Baltasar Gracián (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.