فن الحكمة الدنيوية

by Baltasar Gracián, مشاعل عبدالعزيز الهاجري (ترجمة)

كتاب "فن الحكمة الدنيوية" – الذي يُنشر مطبوعاً بالعربية كاملاً لأول مرّة – هو كتابٌ قديم، يقرب عمره من أربعمائة عام. وُضِع الكتاب في إسبانيا عام 1647 من قِبل بالتاسار جراسيان (Balatasar Grasian)، الذي كان عَلَماً من أعلام المرحلة الباروكيّة، في ذُروة ما كان يُعرف بالعصر الذهبيّ للبلاد، و هي الفترة الممتدة من 1635 إلى 1680. و لهذا الكتاب ديمومة و استمرار، في المكان و الزمان معا: فمكانياً، انتشر الكتاب فور صدوره فلاقي نجاحاً كبيراً في إسبانيا، و منها إلى أوروبا، ثم العالم. و زمانياً، كان لمرور الوقت أثرٌ في ترسيخ قيمته، إذ بيّن أن ما يحمله من أفكار تجاوز مرحلة ظهوره، فاستمر مقروءً إلى يومنا هذا. و يتكوّن كتاب "فن الحكمة الدنيوية" من ثلاثمائة شَذَرَة، تدور حول إرشاداتٍ مخاتِلة، تقصِدُ جميعها للمِلاحَة في لُجّة محيطٍ مجتمعيّ متلاطِم، يتخلله قلقٌ وتوجّسٌ وارتياب. ورغم أن هذه الشَّذَرات – بما يحيط بها من غموضٍ مقصود – ليست بالواضِحة دائماً، إلا أن أسلوب كتابتها ذكي؛ فهو موارِبٌ غير فَج، مُلَغّزٌ و لكن مفهوم. لقد وُصِفَ الكتاب حقاً بأنه "مزيجٌ غريبٌ من الدَّهاء، السُّخرية، و القِيَم". لا شكّ أن كُلَّ ذلك يَسِمُ ما في هذا الكتاب الغَريب بالسّمة الكونيّة: هذا كتابٌ يتعدّى الهويّة الوطنية الضيقة، فيصلح للإنسانيّة ككل.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, Self Help, Psychology, Politics, Spanish Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1647

About the author

Baltasar Gracián y Morales, SJ, formerly Anglicized as Baltazar Gracian, was a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud (Aragón). His proto-existentialist writings were lauded by Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.

The son of a doctor, in his childhood Gracián lived with his uncle, who was a priest. He studied at a Jesuit school in 1621 and 1623 and theology in Zaragoza. He was ordained in 1627 and took his final vows in 1635.

He assumed the vows of the Jesuits in 1633 and dedicated himself to teaching in various Jesuit schools. He spent time in Huesca, where he befriended the local scholar Vincencio Juan de Lastanosa, who helped him achieve an important milestone in his intellectual upbringing. He acquired fame as a preacher, although some of his oratorical displays, such as reading a letter sent from Hell from the pulpit, were frowned upon by his superiors. He was named Rector of the Jesuit college of Tarragona and wrote works proposing models for courtly conduct such as El héroe (The Hero), El político (The Politician), and El discreto (The Discreet One). During the Spanish war with Catalonia and France, he was chaplain of the army that liberated Lleida in 1646.

In 1651, he published the first part of the Criticón (Faultfinder) without the permission of his superiors, whom he disobeyed repeatedly. This attracted the Society's displeasure. Ignoring the reprimands, he published the second part of Criticón in 1657, as a result was sanctioned and exiled to Graus at the beginning of 1658. Soon Gracián wrote to apply for membership in another religious order. His demand was not met, but his sanction was eased off: in April of 1658 he was sent to several minor positions under the College of Tarazona. His physical decline prevented him from attending the provincial congregation of Calatayud and on 6 December 1658 Gracián died in Tarazona, near Zaragoza in the Kingdom of Aragón.

Gracián is the most representative writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style known as Conceptismo (Conceptism), of which he was the most important theoretician; his Agudeza y arte de ingenio (Wit and the Art of Inventiveness) is at once a poetic, a rhetoric and an anthology of the conceptist style.

The Aragonese village where he was born (Belmonte de Calatayud), changed its name to Belmonte de Gracian in his honour.

Reviews

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Înainte de orice, o observație etimologică. „Eudemonologie” vine de la termenul grec εὐδαιμονία care înseamnă fericire, viață împlinită.

Editorii postumi ai acestei scrieri (îndeosebi Franco Volpi) au verificat 13 caiete din arhiva filosofului și au găsit însemnări pentru un proiect care n-a fost dus niciodată la capăt, dar a lăsat urme adînci în Aforisme asupra înțelepciunii în viață: un mic tratat practic de(spre) fericire, un catalog de sfaturi. Pare ciudat acest proiect din partea unui gînditor care considera că „sîmburele vieții e suferința și coaja lui minciuna”.

Filosofii au propus încă din Antichitate opinii despre viața fericită. Arthur Schopenhauer a avut o părere excelentă despre stoici și putem afirma că Arta de a fi fericit este o re-scriere modernă a vechilor precepte consemnate cîndva de Seneca în Epistolele către Lucilius. De altfel, Seneca este citat abundent în cele 50 de reguli formulate de Schopenhauer. Cifra regulilor e rotundă, dar multe dintre ele se suprapun, adică prescriu unul și același lucru (de pildă, regula 42 reformulează regula 23). N-am remarcat să-l citeze pe Montaigne. Dar îl citează, în original, pe Chamfort.

Așadar, autorul recomandă observarea bunei dispoziții (îndemnul „Fii vesel!” i se pare „superlativul unui truism”, o calmă relație cu trecutul (trebuie acceptat, fiindcă nimeni n-a fost în stare să-l modifice), respingerea sentimentelor negative (mînia, invidia, ura etc.), indiferența față de opiniile altora (fericirea unui înțelept nu rezidă în mintea și judecata celorlalți), pasivitatea față de plăceri, acceptarea destinului, fatalismul. Înțeleptul nu caută plăcerile, ci lipsa durerii, nebunul dimpotrivă: din păcate, toate plăcerile sînt himerice” (pp.104, 132-133). Doar fericirea negativă e accesibilă omului: „A trăi fericit înseamnă doar a trăi cît mai puțin nefericit cu putință” (p.131). Fericirea e absența suferinței.

Prima parte a volumului cuprinde una dintre considerațiile inactuale ale lui Friedrich Nietzsche: „Schopenhauer educator” (1874). O voi comenta cu alt prilej...

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I expected, yet it was still a good experience. If you have - or will - read Machiavelli's "The Prince", Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War" and/or Castiglione's "The Book Of The Courtier", this is another good book to add to these type of books. There's is also some certainty that the author read "The Prince" (since it came out earlier than this book, which came out in 1647); the fact that the author of this present book was a Jesuit no doubt helped, since I do know Jesuits have been thought of as cunning, both in positive and negative sense.

So: this book is a series of 300 witty, thought-provoking aphorisms (which are nicely shown in the contents list), with some helpful notes at the end - you can't expect everyone to be familiar with Greek/Roman classic texts (including Aesop's tales) and the Bible. The name hints at the size of the first printing of this books - pocket-fitting and densely printed (sometimes hard to read because of this). It is for the 17th Century Baroque Spanish upper society, Spain being then in decline, away from being the world power, with France and the Rococo style soon taking their place.

Some of the text clearly shows that certain aphorisms can be grouped together, and some themes do pop up again as one keeps reading. The style is laconic, which I like since it keeps the message clearly floating. Translation keeps out most word-play and puns, since they don't translate well.

The author stresses the importance of taking ever-changing circumstances into account, as aphrosim's tips may not apply on every occasion. In everything, though, prudence is the main key that keep one afloat in the changes and risks of the society. There is more value in difficulty than easy - there is challenge this way. Disillusion is sometimes good, it helps in looking behind appearances, where danger and opportunities may hide. One has to realise that others are playing the game, too.

There were a few standout aphorisms for me: 1o1, 110, 183, 249, 273, 297 really felt close to me. Sometimes making me think of the state of the world now, how to know when to fold 'em, not to hold to opinions too stubbornly, remember to already live and not leave living to old age, and the "act as though always on view" sounds interesting.

The last aphorism gives the whole lot a nice twist; it might make you read the text again, which may not be hard work since the book is quite slim :) The book is quite easy to read, even if you don't really notice that Christianity still sort of flows underground in the text, most of the time... it might feel like the book's general message veers very close to Machiavelli, yet in the end staying slight apart.
A suprisingly good book, with something for everyone, even when not living like they once did.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking! Ok, I dunno why this one is so shocking but it is. It gave me a pause and a lot of starts: most of this stuff is what we see across lots of self-help lit of the modern kind. All these ideas have been packaged and repackaged and resold as some sort of new wisdom even though people could have been benefitting from it since circa 1647.

I definitely could visualize it being written in 21st century. And, nope, it seems to be first issued in the 17th one. Huh.

In fact, I can't see how it could've been so, SO darn modern. Of course, part of it is no thanks to my edition. Obviously, this has been linguisically modernised to no end and that is part of the reason why the book comes across as a hoax (which it isn't).
Modern edition:

1.
Se ha llegado a la mayor complejidad, pero la suprema es formar un buen hombre. Para formar a un sabio de hoy se requiere más inteligencia que para siete de la antigüedad. Y para tratar con un sólo hombre de estos tiempos necesitamos más sapiencia que para tratar todo un pueblo de los pasados.

The not so modern edition:
http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-...

1.
Todo está ya en su punto, y el ser persona en el mayor. Más se requiere hoi para un sabio que antiguamente para siete; y más es menester para tratar con un solo hombre en estos tiempos que con todo un pueblo en los passados.

Different in language. Not so very different in spirit. While reading the 2 books feels like reading an original novel and a fanfiction based upon its world, the ideas are roughly similar. Which does give one a pause: what, have people really been this similar all this time? This similar? Like, having same cognitive and interpersonal issues?

Today, we are big on how Generations X, Y, Z (whatever) are different from the ones that came before. But, are they really? Or maybe should we/they/whatever learn to read and improve our focus and work on our skillset and generally improve ourselves without making all these highbrow statements on how scrolling since childhood is having allegedly positive impact on someone's skills with anything?

An illuminating read, obviously. Who would've ever guessed that people haven't really changed since 16XXs?

[Kimber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing how true Gracian's aphorisms remain hundreds of years later and how much the culture of Spain at the time seems so modern....A work to study and be studied again and again. This is timeless in its wisdom--I would add I don't agree with everything he says and that although he can be spiritual at times, this is a guide of "Worldly Wisdom" and something that as a Jesuit priest he was sometimes condemned for this worldlyness.

[Elisa Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Use human means as if there were no divine ones and use divine means as if there were no human ones."

[Justarius · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracián is unlike any book you are likely to find on bookshelves today. Self-help books can be helpful, but they are usually focused on what to do after you have encountered certain problems. Business books are often a collection of case studies or “war stories.” The Art of Worldly Wisdom teaches the same sort of lessons (and more) in a much broader context. It is a manual on how to be successful at anything in life. Considering that it is still amazing relevant today despite being first published in 1647, it is a classic masterpiece.

Certainly there have been other books in the same genre, but I have yet to find another one as penetrating and objective. La Rochefoucauld’s Maxims(1660-80s) is insightful as well, but it is colored by a lifetime of bitter experiences. Though Gracián had his own troubles, perhaps being a priest allowed him to observe clearly without becoming jaded by the excesses and pitfalls of worldly life. Also, The Art of Worldly Wisdom contains only 300 aphorisms, considerably less than the Maxims while packing the same amount of substance or more.

Other notable thinkers have been influenced by The Art of Worldly Wisdom. Nietzsche wrote that “Europe has never produced anything finer or more complicated in matters of moral subtlety,” and Schopenhauer considered the book “Absolutely unique… a book made for constant use…a companion for life” for “those who wish to prosper in the great world.”

So read The Art of Worldly Wisdom; you will not regret it. I wish that I had many years ago. Perhaps I could have done things better, or perhaps I could have learned some lessons less painfully. In either case, it could only have helped!

[Roy Lotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cada uno habla del objeto según su afecto.

This little book is one of the most read and translated works of the Spanish Golden Age. It has been surprisingly influential. Schopenhauer was a famous devotee, and even learned Spanish so that he could produce a translation (which went on to commercial success). Two English translations have been best-sellers, the first in 1892 and the second in 1992. Advice typically does not age well, but Gracián’s has stood the temporal test.

Yet for the reader of the original Spanish—especially the non-native reader—the book can be perplexing. Gracián was a major writer in the conceptismo movement: a literary style in which a maximum of meaning was compressed into a minimum of words, using every rhetorical trick of the trivium to achieve a style that seems to curl itself into a ball and then to explode in all directions. This can make the experience of reading Gracián quite akin to that of reading poetry—except here, unlike in poetry, you can be sure that there is a sensible meaning laying concealed underneath. When the antiquity of Gracián’s Castilian is added to the mix, the result is literary dish that is difficult to digest.

After a meaning is beaten out of Gracián’s twisted words, however, the result is some surprisingly straightforward advice. “Prudent” is the operative word, for Gracián manages to be idealistic and realistic at once, walking the fine like between cynicism and naïveté. Admittedly, however, the bulk of this advice is directed towards the successful courtier, and so is difficult to apply to less exalted positions. There is, for example, much advice concerned with how to treat inferiors and superiors, but in a world where explicit hierarchies are increasingly frowned upon (or at least tactfully concealed), the poor reader wonders what to make of it.

But much of the advice is timeless and universal. Make friends with those you can learn from (but not those who can outshine you!). Don’t let wishful thinking lead you into unrealistic hopes. Never lose your self-respect. The wise man gains more from his enemies than the fool from his friends. Know how to forget. Know how to ask. Look within... As any reader of Don Quixote knows, Spanish is a language exceedingly rich in proverbs; so it perhaps should come as no surprise that this language—so rhythmic and so easy to make rhymes with—is also an excellent vehicle for maxims. Gracián exploits the proverbial potential of Castilian to the maximum, expressing a sly but respectable philosophy in 300 pithy paragraphs.

Despite all the wit and wisdom to be found in these pages, however, I found myself wishing for amplification. Montaigne, though short on practical advice, is long on examples; so by the end of his essays the reader has a good idea how to put his ideas into practice. Gracián, by contrast, has no time for examples, and so the reader is left with a rather abstract imperative to work with. Needless to say I will not become a successful courtier anytime soon.

[Sarah Lada · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a little surprised by some ratings of this book. I understand that this isn't a book that you exactly "critique" because it's a renown oracle from the 17th century. However, I took the wisdom in this book less as HOW to be and more as HOW to watch out for people like this. I'll agree that it's all wisdom, but it's more something to UNDERSTAND rather than something to BE. A lot of the advice gears toward deception, vanity, and greed:

"Let someone else take the hit. You will shield yourself from malevolence: sound policy in those who govern. Having someone else take the blame for failure and be the butt of gossip does not spring from a lack of ability, as malice thinks, but from superior skill. Not everything can turn out well, and you can't please everyone. So look for a scapegoat, someone whose own ambition will make him a good target."

In my opinion, a wise person may not get into such a situation where they must blame someone else. And a wise person understands that mistakes are made and that they, themselves, are not perfect. I'd rather be wary of a person who would put blame on me rather than be the blamer.

"Do, but also seem. Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. To excel and to know how to show it is to excel twice. What is invisible might as well not exist. Reason itself is not venerated when it does not wear a reasonable face. Those easily duped outnumber the prudent. Deceit reigns, and things are judged from without, and are seldom what they seem. A fine exterior is the best recommendation of inner perfection."

There are many more "aphorisms" throughout this book that encourage the reader to not only be aware of the deceit that is out there, but to also play the same game. And the focus is merely on aesthetic rather than essence. Seem this way, even if you're not that way.

This oracle is street-wise and takes the definition of "wisdom" to a place that seems wise, but in essence, is not very "virtuous" in my opinion.

Also, understand that this has been translated by many different people. I own Martin Fischer's translation and when I opened it up to read it, it made no sense to me grammatically or syntactically. Martin Fischer, I presume, is a literalist translator, for Gracian did have that difficult-to-understand writing style where sentences were incomplete and there was a severe lack in verbs. So, if you want to get someone's more understandable translation, Christopher Maurer is the translator you want.

[Andrei Tamaş · Rating 4 out of 5]

De departe cea mai veche carte pe care o dețin (publicată în 1912, în traducerea lui Titu Maiorescu), aceasta reprezintă o colecție de eseuri ale marelui filosof, sistematizate într-un volum unic.
La sfârșitul sec. al XIX-lea, intelectualii români erau prea puțini cunoscători de limbă germană, iar T. Maiorescu a simțit nevoia de a aduce un suflu nou în gândirea orientată spre Hexagon a Micului Paris (după cum el însuși o spune în prefața acestui volum).

Maiorescu reușește să redea succint (poate prea succint?!) filosofia lui Schopenhauer, surprinzând cele mai pregnante maxime ale sale. În fapt, totul se rezumă la aprofundarea ideii lui Aristotel, potrivit căreia fericirea nu se definește printr-un cumul de plăceri, ci prin lipsa durerii.

Schopenhauer leagă acest fenomen și de vârsta unei persoane, făcând anumite supoziții care cu greu ar putea fi primite cu entuziasm de un cititor contemporan.

Nu e mai puțin adevărat că autorul a contribuit substanțial la abolirea sistemului punitiv al duelului judiciar. Citind perorația să asupra duelului, onoarei și conviețuirii sociale, îți vine să intri în pământ de rușine știind că ești parte a unei specii care a încurajat, cândva, un astfel de sistem.

"Așa vom afla pururea, că fiece om este sociabil în proporția în care este sărac la minte și în deobște om de rând. Căci în lume nu prea ne rămâne altă alegere decât între singurătate și înjosire (...). Pentru aceea în toate țările ocupația de căpetenie a societății a ajuns să fie jocul de cărți: el este măsura calității oamenilor și falimentul declarat al ideilor. Neavând adecă idei de schimbat, ei schimbă cărți..."

"Cine vrea ca opinia sa să fie primită cu încredere, trebuie să vorbească rece și fără violență. Orice violență se naște din partea pasională a naturii noastre și prin urmare opinia se va atribui acestei părți, și nu rațiunii, care după natura ei este rece. Căci partea pasională fiind elementul primordial în om, pe când rațiunea este numai secundară și accesorie, se va crede mai curând că judecata s-a născut din pasiune, decât că pasiunea s-a născut din judecată."

30 decembrie 2019

[Pearce Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have friends who read The Prince like a bible, and its true that Machiavelli is worthy of repeated study, both as a period piece and window into the Renaissance Italian soul, and as possibly the most notorious treatise on Realpolitik ever written. Machiavelli, like Nietzsche, has been misused by the unscrupulous and decried by the ignorant; also, IMHO, both writers were actually better historians and analysts than they were philosophers per se.

Baltasar Gracian, in the Pocket Oracle, has accomplished what Niccolo never could, nor would have wanted to: a day to day primer of sage advice from a trained Jesuit mind who walked and worked in the highest halls of power in his time. The lessons are pithy and epigrammatic, both simple yet deserving of deep reflection and consideration and, most importantly, are eminently USEFUL in almost every interpersonal interaction in your day to day life, whether you are a dish washer or a senator -- his teachings are that universal.

Robert Greene strip-mined Gracian for 48 Laws of Power, but again IMHO, it's always best to refer back to the seminal source even after being presented with as good a digest as Greene presented. This is the Penguin edition, so you of course have the value added of their wonderful introductions, with historical references anchoring Gracian's life and the impact of the Oracle itself. Also, this translation is, I feel, much better than those I've seen marketed under the variant title Art of Worldly Wisdom.

I read this book everyday. I recommend it to every man woman or child that wants to live their very best. Gracian was one of the wisest men who ever lived, and this is the free distillation of his wisdom.

[Mohammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

از اینکه سال‌های متمادی خوندن این کتاب رو به تاخیر انداختم، متاسفم.
این کتاب اصل جنسه.
این همون کتابیه که «رابرت گرین» بخش‌هایی از «کتاب 48 قانون قدرت» رو ازش الهام گرفته، (منتها بعضی جاهاش کلمه به کلمه). سیصد قاعده کلی پندآموز که می‌تونه برای هر کسی مفید باشه. توی یک پاراگراف چیزی رو می‌گه که بعضی‌ها همون رو توی یک کتاب توضیح می‌دن. مختصر و مفید.
مسلما از این به بعد یکی از کتاب‌های دم دستی من همینه.
باشد که رستگار شویم.

[Karen Merino Caballero · Rating 5 out of 5]

En este libro encontrarás 300 aforismos que nos aconsejan como llegar a ser un buen ser humano en todos los aspectos de la vida, explicado de manera sencilla.
Una lectura que nos hará reflexionar cada día.

[StefanP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pravda ima malo pristalica. Mnogi je hvale, istina, ali ne za svoju kuću.

Vrelo mudrosti predstavlja vodič ili strategiju za dobar život i kako postati bolji čovjek. U njoj su decidno iznesene maksime o tome kako treba da se ponašamo u određenim situacijama, čega treba da se klonimo, kako se izboriti protiv gluposti, osloboditi duh, kako postići mir i slično. Grasijan kao da se uzdigao iznad lavirinta svijeta, posmatrao ga, izvukao određene zaključke te shodno njima napravio shemu po kojoj jedinka može prijatno funkcionisati; s obzirom da taj lavirint nije baš prijatan. Ovu knjigu na njemački jezik je preveo filozof Artur Šopenhauer. To samo potvrđuje veličinu i značaj ove knjige. Njeno preimućstvo je u tome što je jednostavna i plemenita. Obraća se prevashodno običnom čovjeku. Kratka je, i jedinka može stalno da je drži pored sebe i koristi je kad mu je potrebna.

Grasijan etiku uglavnom zasniva na moralno i duhovno samousavršavanje ličnosti. On ne otkriva kojim putevima treba da hodimo ka budućnosti niti olajava naše mane, već nam služi kao savjetodavac kako da izbjegnemo, kako je on to nazvao, bolešljive sokove duše. Njegove sugestije su zaista opipljive i bude u čovjeku ono iskonsko. Ono što čitaoca može da opsjeda jeste jedan lepršav i umjetniči stil kojim Grasijan prenosi saznanja o ljudskoj prirodi i njenoj psihologiji. Sve slabosti i strasti koje čovjek sa sobom nosi Grasijan će pretvoriti u jedan veo koji služi kao jemac da će one biti otklonjene i on to radi bez pukog moralisanja; koje za čitaoca često može da bude dosadno i uspavljujuće. Treba se neprestano vraćati ovakvoj dragocjenosti.

[شمس · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Know a little more and live a little less. Others argue the opposite. Well-spent leisure is worth more than work. We have nothing of our own but time . . . "(245)

One of the first books I remember adding to my "to-read" list many years ago, this was one of the few works that thoroughly exceeded any expectations I may have had.

Gracian's Art of Worldly Wisdom is a collection of 300 maxims containing excellent, practical advice; very Senecan, and, at times, Machiavellian in sentiment (but much more applicable than The Prince.)

Personally, I noted around 50 which I would consider essential to read in their entirety, as well as many, many more containing nuggets of gold; for a collection of 300, there is an impressive amount of quality.

__________
. . . when culture is lacking, perfection remains incomplete. (12)

There's much to know and life is short, and a life without knowledge is not a life. (15)

And if he gives up on people, this is not because he is fickle, but because they have given up on truth. (29)

Never sin against your own good taste. (33)

Truth is for the few; deception is as common as it is vulgar. (43)

To be able to choose, and to choose the best. (51)

Time and I against any other two. (55)

A truly deep mind achieves eternity. (57)

Self-knowledge is the start of self-correction. (69)

Fun must have its place, but seriousness must dominate. (76)

Let your manner be lofty, endeavour to make it sublime. (88)

People with only one concern and only one subject are usually boring. (105)

A good exterior is the best recommendation of a perfect interior. (130)

If one universally accomplished friend is enough to make Rome and the rest of the universe, then be that friend to yourself, and you will be able to live completely on your own. (137)

Whom will you need, if there's no opinion or taste greater than your own? (137)

Deformity of the mind is uglier than that of the body because it goes against divine beauty. (168)

Moderation is necessary even in our desire for knowledge so as not to know things badly. (174)

Take enjoyment slowly and tasks quickly. (174)

Either know, or listen to someone who does. (176)

Stupidity's faults are incurable, for since the ignorant don't know what they are, they don't search for what they lack. (176)

Recognise faults, whatever the approval they enjoy. (186)

Vices might be ennobled, but they are never noble. (186)

Others make it a policy to praise today's mediocrities more than yesterday's marvels. (188)

You should see and hear, but remain silent. (192)

A person has everything who cares nothing about what matters little. (192)

Everyone has too high an opinion of themselves, especially those with least reason to. (194)

To be truly wise, its not enough just to appear to be so, far less to appear so to yourself. (201)

There have been few Senecas . . . (203)

What seems a throwaway comment to the person making it can seem deeply significant to the person who catches and ponders it. (207)

Know how to divide your life wisely, not as things arise, but with foresight and discrimination. (229)

Spend the first part of a fine life in communication with the dead. We are born to know and to know ourselves, and books reliably turn us into people . . . Let the third stage be spent entirely with yourself: the ultimate happiness, to philosophise. (229)

But what is essential must come first and only later, if there's time, what is incidental. (249)

In acquiring knowledge, some start with what is least important, leaving the honourable and useful subjects for when life is at an end. (249)

For knowledge and life, method is essential. (249)

. . . everything should be great and majestic, so that all their actions, and even their words, may be clothes in a transcendent, grandiose majesty. (296)

But good taste flavours everything in life. (298)

[Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baltasar Gracián enumera 300 aforismos que constituyen las pautas para el hombre de referencia del barroco. Así como Castiglione propusiera al cortesano como modelo, Gracián opta por un ideal de persona que nombra como el discreto, y para el cual configura unas propiedades que se basan alrededor de la prudencia y virtud. De esa forma, Gracián lo que hace en este libro es exponer cómo debe actuar el hombre prudente de cara a la sociedad para tener relativo éxito y mantenerse estable. Entre varias de las ideas se puede subrayar el dar una apariencia coherente, el hablar lo necesario, reflexionar bien, rodearse de amigos y nunca excederse en el trato.

Lo notable de este libro es la actualidad que ha tenido para mí. El enfoque de Gracián en la época no tiene gran distancia con la que vivimos ahora, y muchos de estos consejos son perfectamente aplicables, tanto en la vida profesional como en la personal. Además resulta muy positivo el formato: un aforismo seguido de una ampliación breve de la idea. Hay aplicaciones, metáforas y referencias al mundo clásico y de la época. Me parece, de verdad tengo que decirlo, una joya que habría que regalar.
Una particularidad del libro que podría mejorar es que varias veces se hace referencia a las mismas ideas en distintos apartados, y resulta algo reiterativo. De todas formas, no le hace perder un ápice de interés. Atentos a la edición que se elige, pues una no adaptada haría que muchos se puedan perder al intentar interpretar las palabras, en vez de disfrutar de la enseñanza.

Es un libro que, en mi opinión, merecerá la atención de aquel que se interese por él y tendrá mucho que enseñarle. Y por cierto, ¿qué es esto de que Gracián esté tan olvidado? ¿Cuándo se le va a reconocer su talento?

[Philippe Malzieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The contempt is the most subtle form of revenge"

Gracian was Jesuit. It did not respect many thing. He had the arrogance of those which know their talent. He published his books without authorizations. His visions sour and cynical terrified his superiors.
I was very mechant with Macchiavel by advising you to substitute Gracian to him. The form will undoubtedly appear less formal to you, more futile. But at the bottom it is a fine analysis of the social reports and way to evolve in society.
It is the book of someone which mixed with the power without practising it (like Macchiavel) and which knew to keep cold blood.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the great books of wisdom, dispensed in brief paragraphs with headings like "better to be intensive than extensive," and "reserve is the seal of talent." Gracian might best be described as an honorable politician; he advocates dealing with the world with rectitude, but keeping a close eye on how the world responds. You need to be ready for it to throw something unfair, unexpected, or unpleasant back at you. It's perhaps comforting to know that the book was written 300 years ago, and the world is still pretty much the same now as it was then.

[Dreamer · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. A big NO

Can someone please explain me why soo many people love this book??? It just made me soooo angry, that I wanted to bang my head somewhere! Now, you'll probably wonder why, and here it is, what the author said and made me feel like that:

~ always find someone to blame for your mistakes (!!!)
~ be liked by everyone
~ do what everyone else does
~ use other people’s disadvantages to manipulate them

And other stupid things I don't want to analyze! What kind of self help is this advice? And we consider it wisdom???? No, please, no.

[Scriptor Ignotus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baltasar Gracián’s Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence, a collection of three hundred coolly genteel and intricately written aphorisms on the navigation of personal and professional life, is a product of the literarily brilliant but socially precarious world of the late Spanish baroque. Gracián’s secular writings, despite being widely popular, were denounced by the leadership of his own Jesuit order, and much of Gracián’s life was spent straddling the line between personal authenticity and social propriety within a culture in which so much of one’s status—indeed, one’s survival—depended on personal and institutional patronage, which in turn demanded personal reservation and doctrinal orthodoxy.

The divide between appearance and reality, between persona and personality, is a recurrent theme in the Oracle. In maxim 43, Gracián advises us to “think with the few and speak with the many”; to avoid openly contradicting popular opinion and to keep our true thoughts private. “Truth is for the few, error is both common and vulgar”, and since swimming against the tides of popular consensus is dangerous and alienating, “the wise person retires into silence”. In maxim 99, he warns us that “things pass for what they seem, not for what they are”, and that “It is not enough to be right if your actions look false and ill.” Maxim 177 appears to instruct us to avoid becoming too close to anyone, as familiarity breeds contempt by exposing our weaknesses and giving others a false sense of our reliance upon them.

The public self is a shield for the private one, which must never be compromised by the vulgarity of the herd. Even as we cultivate an appearance of docility and moderation, we must cling ruthlessly to our integrity and our moral and intellectual development. We must avoid the faults of our societies (9), be common in nothing—especially taste (28), and use the best and brightest of our age as our models for conduct (44) (203). Gracián’s watchword is to appear common while not being so, gaining the attention and respect of others by revealing ourselves only in increments and keeping our deepest wisdoms hidden from full view. The distance of the stars gives them their majesty.

Though we are certainly removed from the mannerly world of seventeenth-century Spain, and though our culture celebrates unreserved, unmediated self-expression, Gracián’s appeals for emotional reticence and the prudential guardianship of the private mind may serve as a valuable corrective for our age of mutual disrespect through oversharing.

[Dionysius the Areopagite · Rating 5 out of 5]

300 aphorisms over 300 years old by Spanish writer Gracian, born four years after the release of Quixote, vol 1. The slim Penguin volume is beautifully put together and if I can get even ten of these guidelines to being a better person straight this year it will be success. As it stands, the end of 2013 ended on a pretty turbulent note for me and only in the past day or two have I been piecing myself together to saner grounds. This is a great meditation on how to live simply, wisely. Something in here for everyone, from saintly grandmothers to the most outrageous nihilist, probably a little more for the latter. Yet the struggle for the down and out herein to believe in the wisdom would make it the more worthwhile text. These days would be one of millions of Self-Help books, Gracian writing before a time for that kind of Market. Here is just some great, condensed advice, from what I've read spot-on. Great translation by one Jeremy Robbins, a master on Spanish Baroque culture. One which would be on my Currently Reading shelf for a long, long time, if I didn't plan to tuck it away and just read a passage or two every so often. Reading ten, slowly, in a row started to remind me of my lesser qualities, the voluminous nature of them. Will pick up again when feeling a little better about myself.

Update:

Glad to have caught a mint condition copy out of the corner of my eye at the bookstore today. A necessity.

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

300 rules on how to handle other people. Surprisingly modern, because a-moral, unchristian, and cynical. Ment for an audience of courtiers, senior officers and politicians. Gracian is also called the Machiavelli of human relations. In general he preaches a strong defensive attitude: caution takes precedence over everything. (2.5 stars)

[Selin Saracoglu Bayraklı · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gerçek kitaplar bizi gerçek insanlar yapar."

[Henrik Haapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Weigh matters carefully, and think hardest about those that matter most.” /Baltasar Gracian

“In times of prosperity prepare for adversity.” (2021-10-24)

256: “Be prepared. For the rude, the stubborn, the vain, and for all sorts of fools.” (Prepare for tomorrow today)

125: “Don’t be a blacklist of others faults.” (Don’t be a hater)

282: Use absence to win respect or esteem. Prescence diminishes fame, absence enlarges it. The absent person who was thought a lion turns into a mouse - ridiculous offspring of the mountain - when present. Gifts lose their sheen when they are handled: one sees the outer bark and not the spiritual pith. Imagination travels faster than sight. Deceit comes in through the ears, but usually leaves through the eyes. The person who retires into himself, into the center of his reputation, preserves his good name. Even the Phoenix used absence to preserve its dignity and to turn desire into esteem.

229: Parcel out your life wisely. Not confusedly, in the rush of events, but with foresight and judgment. Life is painful without a rest, like a long day's journey without an inn. What makes life pleasant is a variety of learning. For a beautiful life, spend the first act in conversation with the dead: we are born to know and to know ourselves, and books turn us faithfully into people. Spend the second act with the living: behold all that is good in the world. Not all things are found in one region. In distributing the dowry, the universal Father sometimes gave wealth to his ugliest daughter. The third act belongs entirely to you: to philosophize is the highest delight of all.

75: Choose a heroic model, and emulate rather than imitate. There are examples of greatness, living texts of renown. Let each person choose the first in his field, not so much to follow him as to surpass them. Alexander cried at the tomb of Achilles, not for Achilles but for himself, for unlike Achilles, he had not yet been born to fame. Nothing makes the spirit so ambitious as the trumpet of someone else's fame. It frightens away envy and encourages noble deeds.

1: All has reached perfection, and becoming a true person is the greatest perfection of all. It takes more to make one sage today than it did to make the seven of Greece. And you need more resources to deal with a single person these days than with an entire nation in times past.

111: Have friends. They are a second being. To a friend, all friends are good and wise. When you are with them, all turns out well. You are worth as much as others want you to be and say you are, and the way to their mouths lies through their hearts. Nothing bewitches like service to others, and the best way to win friends is to act like one. The most and best we have depends on others. You must live either with friends or with enemies. Win one each day, if not as a confidant, at least as a follower. Choose well and some will remain whom you can trust.

242: Follow through on your victories. Some people do everything to begin and nothing to end. Fickle characters, they start but don't persist. They never win praise because they carry on but don't carry through. To them everything is over before it ends. The Spaniard is known for his impatience, as the Belgian for his patience. The latter finishes things, the former finishes them off; he sweats until he has conquered difficulty, is content to conquer, but doesn't know how to carry through on his victory. He proves that he can but doesn't want to. This is always a defect: it shows either inconstancy or having rashly attempted the impossible. What is worth doing is worth finishing. If it isn't worth finishing, why begin at all? The wise don't merely stalk their prey, the make the kill.

113: Plan for bad fortune while your fortune is good. In the summer it is wise to provide for winter, and it is easier to do so. Favors are less expensive, and friendships abound. It is good to save up for a rainy day: adversity is expensive and all is lacking. Keep a following of friends and grateful people; someday you will value what now seems unimportant. Villainy has no friends in prosperity because it refuses to recognize them. In adversity it is the other way around.

4
“Knowledge and courage. These are the elements of greatness. Because they are immortal they bestow immortality. Each is as much as he knows, and the wise can do anything. A person without knowledge is in a world without light. Wisdom and strength are the eyes and hands. Knowledge without courage is sterile.”

134
“Double your resources. You thereby double your life. One must not depend on one thing or trust to only one resource, however preeminent. Everything should be kept double, especially the causes of success, of favor, or of esteem. The moon’s mutability transcends everything and gives a limit to all existence, especially of things dependent on human will – the most brittle of all things. To guard against this inconstancy should be the sage’s care, and for this the chief rule of life is to keep a double store of good and useful qualities. Thus as nature gives us in duplicate the most important of our limbs and those most exposed to risk, so art should deal with the qualities on which we depend for success.”

7
“Avoid outshining your superiors. All victories breed hate, and that over your superior is foolish or fatal.”

[Pavel Annenkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

О ЧЕМ КНИГА:
300 максим о фундаментальных законах и правилах жизни. Книга написана в 17 веке, но ни капли не устарела до сих пор. Работа Грациана навсегда попала в списки мировых интеллектуальных бестселлеров. Книгу можно читать в любое время и с любого места.

ГЛАВНАЯ МЫСЛЬ КНИГИ:
«Сколько человек знает, настолько он человек; знающий всемогущ. Для невежды мир - потемки.»

ЗАЧЕМ ЧИТАТЬ ЭТУ КНИГУ?
Для лучшего понимания, как строить отношения с миром и людьми вокруг себя.

МЫСЛИ И ВЫВОДЫ ИЗ КНИГИ:
Ниже список моих любимые максим. Хотя каждый раз нахожу в книге новые смыслы и список точно меняется с годами)

8. Господство над своими страстями– свойство высшего величия духа.

9. Избавляться от недостатков, присущих землякам твоим.

18. Прилежание и одаренность.

20. Человек и его век

31. Распознавать счастливцев и злосчастных, дабы держаться первых, а вторых бежать.

33. Уметь уклоняться.

70. Уметь отказывать.

72. Решительный человек.

89. Самопознание. 

102. Для больших кусков удачи – большой желудок.

111. Обзаводиться друзьями

130. Делать дело - и показывать дело.

139. Знать свой черный день.

151. Думать загодя.

179. Сдержанность - признак содержательности.

196. Знать свою звезду.

205. Играть пренебрежением.

225. Знать основной свой недостаток.

229. Распределять свою жизнь разумно.

238. Знать чего тебе не хватает.

245. Иногда судить по своему, а не так, как все.

262. Забывать.

263. Приятные вещи не стремись сделать своей собственностью.

292. Пусть человеческая натура возвышается над обязанностями сана.

ЧТО Я БУДУ ПРИМЕНЯТЬ:
Продолжу перечитывать эту книгу каждый год.

ЕЩЕ НА ЭТУ ТЕМУ:
Франсуа де Ларошфуко «Максимы»

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

‎"Life for Dummies"
The missing manual on how to lead a happy, successful life.
I wish I would have had this book in high school! I think it should be on everyone's essential reading list.

Although these condensed insights and suggestions come down to us from almost 400 years ago, their relevance to our experience today is striking and proves the depth of these maxims. The famous philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer translated this about 200 years ago and called it "a book made for constant use" and recommended it as "a companion for life." I've read it almost every day for 4 years and haven't found a reason to stop or finish yet.

[Melina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can not be over-estimated. I use this book the way others refer to the bible. (I DO also read the Bible, The Qu'ran and other religous books as well) However, the advice in this little book is invaluable. There are days when I am troubled and I will meditate on the problem, run my thumb over the pages and pick a random spot and it never fails to deliver some sage and relevant advice. EVERYONE should have a copy.

[Lanko · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about, for lack of a better expression, how life and the world work, the importance of image and perception and being smart in general.
Centuries later we see people, society and their perception and judgment didn't really change that much at all.
Better yet it's written, how can I say, positively, without the cynicism of say, The Prince or other books who try to do the same.

[Tg · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Many would be something great if they could fix something little" Gracian

"The Truth is seldom heard and most often seen " Gracian

Sage advice--Kind of like an art of war for the workplace, and inter-personal relationships

"Know the kink in your Armor, the eyes are the front door of truth, while the ears are side door of falsity " Gracian

[Gil Blas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gracián brilla más en la obra larga, en esa prosa rica y barroca que cincela. Es difícil tarea encontrar en este autor un aforismo, ya que su discurso se despliega de manera acumulativa a lo largo de frases como perlas que fuéramos ensartando en un collar.

Es más, esta obra no sólo no es aforística sino un conglomerado de párrafos sueltos sacados de sus obras grandes.

Algunos tratan de ver a Gracián como un Maquiavelo español, pero a mi juicio es errado. Proponer cierto disimulo, o picardía, es decir, obrar con inteligencia, no implica asumir la amoralidad metodológica del florentino. Se trata de tener un escudo en un mundo en el que vuelan las saetas envenenadas. Además este autor junto con Saavedra Fajardo tiene abundantes críticas a la política “impía” de Maquiavelo.

La finalidad de Maquiavelo es fortalecer al príncipe a toda costa, la de los tacitistas hispanos fortalecer la monarquía católica. Y este adjetivo “católica” marca ciertos límites. Cuestión de historiadores es si la práctica correspondió siempre, en todo momento, a la teoría, pero aquí hablamos de la faceta de teóricos.

[Murat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yorumum, Destek Yayınları'ndan çıkan "Zor Zamanlar için İnsan Kalma Rehberi" kitabı için..

Öncelikle şunu diyebilirim ki bu kitap, Baltasar Gracian'a ait değil. İçinde Gracian'a ait toplasanız 20 sayfayı geçmeyecek alıntılar var. Alıntıların önü arkası ise alıntıda bahsedilen konu etrafında dolaşan ve sosyal medyadan, günümüzden falan bahseden yazılardan oluşuyor.

Bu yazılar kime ait, onu da bilmiyoruz. Çünkü kitap künyesinde sadece Gracian ve "yayıma hazırlayan" var. Künyede orijinal eser adı ya da çevirmen de yer almıyor.

Dolayısıyla bu kitabın, orijinal eser "El arte de la prudencia"' edisyonundan ayrılması lazım. Bana kalsa Gracian'dan da ayrılması lazım.

Orijinal eser, "El arte de la prudencia"'nın çevirisi için Maya Kitap'tan çıkan "Akıllı Yaşama Rehberi" tercih edilebilir.