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

— Baltasar Gracián The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Única regla de agradar: coger el apetito picado con el hambre con que quedó.

Original text (Spanish)

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More quotes by Baltasar Gracián

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)

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

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)

Truth is always late, last to arrive, limping along with time.

All Baltasar Gracián quotes →

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Baltasar Gracián (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.