Baltasar Gracian Quotes
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Everything foreign is respected, partly because it comes from afar, partly because it is ready made and perfect.
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Respect yourself if you would have others respect you.
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Never have a companion that casts you in the shade.
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Nature scarcely ever gives us the very best; for that we must have recourse to art.
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Let him that hath no power of patience retire within himself, though even there he will have to put up with himself.
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If to talk to oneself when alone is folly, it must be doubly unwise to listen to oneself in the presence of others.
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Dreams will get you nowhere, a good kick in the pants will take you a long way.
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Many get the repute of being witty but thereby lose the credit of being sensible. Jest has its little hour, seriousness should have all the rest.
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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.
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Many pleasant things are better when they belong to someone else. When things belong to others, we enjoy them twice as much, without the risk of losing them, and with the pleasure of novelty.
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It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.
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Even knowledge has to be in the fashion, and where it is not, it is wise to affect ignorance.
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The heaven of the envied is hell for the envious. [...because they focus on what they don't have rather than being grateful for what they have, which is always better than some others.]
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The sage never seems to know his own merits, for only by not noticing them can you call others' attention to them.
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Be known for pleasing others, especially if you govern them. Ruling other has one advantage: you can do more good than anyone else.
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No one demands more caution than a spy, and when someone has the skeleton key to minds, counter him by leaving the key of caution inside, on the other side of the keyhole.
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You have to appear wiser and more prudent than is required by the people you are dealing with if you want to give a high opinion of yourself.
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La galantería y la honra tienen esta ventaja, que se quedan: aquélla en quien la usa, ésta en quien la haze.
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Lies always come first, dragging fools along by their irreparable vulgarity. Truth always lags last, limping along on the arm of time.
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Attain and maintain a reputation, for it is the usufruct of fame. A stiff climb, for it is the issue of excellence, as rare as mediocrity is common.
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There is no wilderness like a life without friends; friendship multiplies blessings and minimizes misfortunes; it is a unique remedy against adversity, and it soothes the soul.
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When you find Fortune favorable, stride boldly forward, for she favors the bold, and being a woman, the young.
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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.
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One deceit needs many others, and so the whole house is built in the air and must soon come to the ground