Baltasar Gracian was a 17th-century Jesuit priest and writer who is best known for his book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom.” This book is a collection of 300 aphorisms or short, pithy statements that offer practical advice for navigating the complexities of life. Gracian’s insights on topics such as friendship, success, and human nature continue to resonate with readers today, centuries after they were first written.
Today, we will explore 53 thought-provoking quotes by Baltasar Gracian and reflect on their relevance to our lives in the 21st century. Whether you are looking for inspiration or guidance on how to approach the challenges of daily life, Gracian’s wisdom is sure to provide valuable insights.
I hope you enjoy these Baltasar Gracian quotes…
1) “A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” – Baltasar Gracian
2) “Always act as if you were seen.” – Baltasar Gracian
3) “A beautiful woman should break her mirror early.” – Baltasar Gracian
4) “Be first the master of yourself” – Balthasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
- Gracián, Baltasar (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 130 Pages – 12/18/2013 (Publication Date) – CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
5) “The best skill at cards is knowing when to discard.” – Baltasar Gracián, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
6) “Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong.” – Baltasar Gracian
7) “Every fool stands convinced; and everyone convinced is a fool. The faultier a person’s judgement the firmer their convictions.” – Baltasar Gracian
8) “Don’t express your ideas too clearly. Most people think little of what they understand, and venerate what they do not.” – Baltasar Gracian
9) “Folly consists not in committing Folly, but in being incapable of concealing it. All men make mistakes, but the wise conceal the blunders they have made, while fools make them public. Reputation depends more on what is hidden than on what is seen. If you can’t be good, be careful.” – Baltasar Gracian
Baltasar Gracian Quotes from The Art of Worldly Wisdom
10) “For the advice in a joke is sometimes more useful than the most serious teaching.” – Balthasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
11) “Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.” – Baltasar Gracián
12) “A gilded No is more satisfactory than a dry Yes.”- Baltasar Gracian
13) “Good things, when short, are twice as good.” – Baltasar Gracian
14) “It is a great deed to leave nothing for tomorrow.”- Baltasar Gracian
15) “The greatest service you can render someone else is helping him help himself.” – Baltasar Gracian
16) “He that can live alone resembles the brute beast in nothing, the sage in much, and God in everything.” – Baltasar Gracian
17) “Hear, see, and be silent.” – Baltasar Gracian
18) “Hurry is the weakness of fools.”- Baltasar Gracian
19) “In twenty years the feelings reigns, in the thirty years a talent reigns, in the forty years a reason reigns.” – Baltasar Gracian
3 important words before making big decisions: Sleep on it…
20) “It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.” – Baltasar Gracian
21) “It is more offensive to outshine in dignity than in personal attractions.”- Baltasar Gracian
22) “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.” – Baltasar Gracián, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
23) “Know or listen to those who know.” – Baltasar Gracian
24) “Knowledge and courage take turns at greatness.”- Baltasar Gracian
25) “Always leave something to wish for; otherwise you will be miserable from your very happiness.” – Baltasar Gracian
26) “Let the first impulse pass, wait for the second.”
27) “Don’t lie, but don’t tell the whole truth.” – Baltasar Gracian
28) “Nature often lets us down when we most need her; let us turn to art.”- Baltasar Gracian
29) “Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.” – Baltasar Gracian
The Wisdom of Baltasar Gracian Quotes
30) “‘No’ and ‘Yes’ are words quickly said, but they need a great amount of thought before you utter them.” – Baltasar Gracian
31) “Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.” – Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
32) “The passions are the humors of the mind, and the least excess sickens our judgment. If the disease spreads to the mouth, your reputation will be in danger.”- Baltasar Gracian
33) “The path to greatness is along with others.” – Baltasar Gracian
34) “Politeness is the chief sign of culture.”- Baltasar Gracian
35) “Put a grain of boldness into everything you do.” – Baltasar Gracian
36) “The best remedy for disturbances is to let them run their course, for so they quiet down.”- Baltasar Gracian
37) “Respect yourself if you would have others respect you.” – Baltasar Gracian
38) “Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.” – Baltasar Gracian
39) “Self knowledge is the beginning of self improvement.” – Baltasar Gracian
Always be truthful…
40) “A single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.” – Baltasar Gracian
41) “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.” – Baltasar Gracian
42) “Success rarely brings satisfaction.”- Baltasar Gracian
43) “Superiority is always detested.” – Baltasar Gracian
44) “A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the other one.” – Baltasar Gracián
45) “Take care to make things turn out well. Some people scruple more over pointing things in the right direction than over successfully reaching their goals. The disgrace of failure outweighs the diligence they showed. A winner is never asked for explanations.” – Baltasar Gracian
46) “The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.” – Baltasar Gracian
47) “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.” – Baltasar Gracian
48) “The truth is generally seen, rarely heard.” – Baltasar Gracian
49) “Two kinds of people are good at foreseeing danger: those who have learned at their own expense, and the clever people who learn a great deal at the expense of others.” – Baltasar Gracian
Baltasar Gracian Quotes on Life
50) “We have more days to live through than pleasures. Be slow in enjoyment, quick at work, for men see work ended with pleasure, pleasure ended with regret.” – Baltasar Gracian
51) “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.” – Baltasar Gracian
52) “He who puts off nothing till tomorrow has done a great deal.” – Baltasar Gracian
53) “The wise does at once what the fool does at last.” – Baltasar Gracian
54) “Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.” – Baltasar Gracian
55) “Don’t take the wrong side of an argument just because your opponent has taken the right side.” – Baltasar Gracian
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Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
