The Wisdom of Gracian IV Flashcards
Half the World is laughing at the other half, and all are fools.
Either everything is good or everything’s bad, depending on people’s opinions.
What one pursues, another flees.
But…the measure of true satisfaction, is the approval of reputable men, who are experts in the relevant field.
Life doesn’t depend on any one opinion, any one custom, or any one century.
Understand what different jobs entail
Those that depend on integrity are easier to handle, those on artifice, harder. With the right disposition, nothing else is needed for the former; but all the care and vigilance in the world are not enough for the latter.
A job that demands complete dedication, has fixed hours and is repetitive is intolerable; better is one which is free from boredom and which combines variety and importance, because change is refreshing.
The best are those where dependency on others is minimal.
The worst, one where you are held to account, both in this world and the next.
Don’t be tedious
People with only one concern and only one subject are usually boring.
What’s good, if brief, is twice as good.
Even bad things, if brief, are not so bad.
What’s well said, is quickly said.
A short cut to being a true person
Know how to rub shoulders with others
Let the impulsive get together with the restrained and vice versa.
To know how to accommodate is a great skill.
Consider doing this when choosing friends or helpers, for from such communication between extremes, a discrete balance will be achieved.
Don’t hang around to be a setting sun.
The sensible person’s maxim, abandon things, before they abandon you.
Know how to turn an ending, into a triumph.
Avoid being seen to be declining.
Have friends.
They are a second self. To a friend, another friend is always good and wise.
Between friends, everything turns out well.
You are worth as much as others say you are, and to win their good words, win their hearts.
The best way to win friends is to do favours for people.
Win affection.
It is essential that you work towards achieving this.
Win someone’s affection and their respect will follow.
Caution knows full well that without peoples’ favour, merit alone is the longest route to take.
The difficulty lies in gaining it, for it is easy to preserve.
In good fortune, prepare for bad.
It is sensible to make provision for winter, in the summer and far easier.
Have friends and grateful people set aside, for some day you will appreciate something you barely notice now.
Get used to the bad temperaments of those you deal with, like getting used to ugly faces.
This is advisable in situations of dependency.
Caution will anticipate or tolerate the unpleasantness.
Live according to common practice.
Even knowledge must keep in fashion; where it’s not, you need to know how to appear ignorant.
Your taste should be up to the minute.
The preference of the majority sets the standard in all things. Follow it whilst it lasts, and move towards eminence.
Only in matters of goodness does this rule of life not apply, for you should always practice virtue.
Be desired.
Make the eminent job depend on you, so that people see that the job needed you, not you the job.
It’s no advantage to be thought good because your successor was bad, since this is not unqualified desire for you, but hatred for the other.
The fool is not someone who does something foolish, but someone who once this is done, doesn’t know how to hide it.
Your emotions need to be concealed, and even more so your faults.
The shrewd dissimulate what they’ve done, while fools blab on about what they’re about to do.
The only things that shouldn’t be disclosed in a friendship are your faults; were it possible, these shouldn’t even be disclosed to yourself.
But another rule of life can be helpful here: know how to forget.
