The Wisdom of Gracian II Flashcards
Find everyone’s weak spot
The trick to influencing people lies in knowing what they idolise. Knowing each person’s driving impulse is like having the key to their will. You should go direct to what motivates a person, normally something base rather than anything noble, for there are more self-indulgent people than self-controlled ones in the world.
Know the fortunate, to befriend them, and the unfortunate, to shun them.
Misfortune, is normally the crime of fools, and nothing is more contagious.
A good move is to attach yourself to the wise and prudent, for sooner or later, they’ll meet with good fortune.
Know how to leave things to one side.
For if knowing how to refuse is one of life’s great lessons, an even greater one is knowing how to say no to yourself, to important people, and in business. There are non-essential activities, moths of precious time, and it’s worse to take an interest in irrelevant things than do nothing at all.
Be free in spirit, passionate about all that’s fine, and never sin against your own good sense.
Know your key quality, your outstanding gift
Cultivate it, and improve the rest. Identify your key attribute and redouble its use.
Most people misuse their capabilities, and so achieve superiority in nothing.
What passion rushes to flatter, time is slow to disillusion us about.
Quit whilst fortune is smiling, as all good gamblers do.
A graceful retreat is as important as a brave assault, safeguarding achievements once these are enough, and especially when they are more than enough.
Always be suspicious of unbroken good fortune, fortune quickly grows tired of carrying someone on its shoulders.
Be in people’s good graces.
It’s a great thing to earn people’s admiration, but more so their affection.
Do endless good; good words, better deeds; love, in order to be loved.
Courtesy is the greatest, most politic spell the great can cast.
The favour of writers which exists, is eternal.
Think with the few and speak with the many
To want to go against the current is as impossible for the wise as it is as easy for the reckless.
Thought is free; it cannot and should not be coerced
It retreats into the sanctuary of silence, and if it sometimes breaks this, it only does so among the select and the wise.
Caution - Use it, but don’t abuse it.
Don’t affect it, far less reveal it: all art should be concealed, for it’s suspect and especially the art of caution, which is odious.
An action’s absolute perfection is secured by the mastery with which it is executed.
Never loose your composure
Be so in control of yourself that, wether things are going well or badly, nobody can accuse you of being perturbed and all can admire your superiority.
Know how to adapt yourself.
A good falconer only releases as many birds are as needed for the chase.
Don’t continually flaunt your qualities or there’ll be nothing left to admire.
There must always be something novel with which to dazzle, for people who reveal something new each day, keep interest alive and never allow the limits of their great abilities to be discovered.
Leave a good impression
In the House of Fortune, if you enter through Pleasure’s door, you’ll leave through Sorrow’s and vice versa.
Pay attention to how things end then, taking greater care to make a good exit than a widely applauded entrance.
What matters rather, is the general feeling your exit arouses , for few are missed once gone.
Make sure of a successful outcome
Whoever wins need offer no explanations.
A successful conclusion makes everything golden, however mistaken the means.
For it shows wisdom to go against received wisdom, when there’s no other way to achieve a happy outcome.
