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Do Not Be Held A Cheat, Even Though It Is Impossible To Live Today Without Being One. Let Your Greatest Cunning Lie In Covering Up What Looks Like Cunning.

-Baltasar Gracian

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Do Not Be Held

Baltasar Gracian

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Do Not Be Held A Cheat, Even Though It Is Impossible To Live Today Without Being One. Let Your Greatest Cunning Lie In Covering Up What Looks Like Cunning.

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Great Ability Develops And Reveals Itself Increasingly With Every New Assignment.

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Truth Is For The Minority.

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Mix A Little Mystery With Everything, For Mystery Arouses Veneration.

The Hossanas Of The Multitude Can Never Bring Satisfaction To The Discerning. Yet There Exist Those Chamaleons Of Popularity Who Find Their Joy, Not In The Sweet Breath Of Apollo, But In The Smell Of The Crowd. And Not In Mind: Do Not Be Taken In By What Are Miracles To The Populace, For The Ignorant Do Not Rise Above Marveling. Thus The Stupidity Of A Crowd Is Lost In Admiration, Even As The Brain Of An Individual Uncovers The Trick.

To Be At Ease Is Better Than To Be At Business.

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Know How To Ask. There Is Nothing More Difficult For Some People, Nor For Others, Easier.

Quit While You're Ahead. All The Best Gamblers Do.

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Things Do Not Pass For What They Are, But For What They Seem. Most Things Are Judged By Their Jackets.

You Can Cultivate Taste, As You Can The Intellect. Full Understanding Whets The Appetite And Desire, And, Later, Sharpens The Enjoyment Of Possession.

To Find One Real Friend In A Lifetime Is Good Fortune; To Keep Him Is A Blessing.

It Requires As Much To Tell The Truth As To Conceal It.

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The Great Art Of Giving Consists In This The Gift Should Cost Very Little And Yet Be Greatly Coveted, So That It May Be The More Highly Appreciated.

Mediocrity Obtains More With Application Than Superiority Without It.

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.

Advice Is Sometimes Transmitted More Successfully Through A Joke Than Grave Teaching.

The Crutch Of Time Accomplishes More Than The Club Of Hercules.

Hurry Is The Weakness Of Fools.

Trust Your Heart, Especially When It Is A Strong One.

Trust Your Heart

Excellence Resides In Quality, Not In Quantity. The Best Is Always Few And Rare; Much Lowers Value.

None Is So Perfect That He Does Not Need At Times The Advice Of Others.

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.]

It Is A Novel Kind Of Supremacy, The Best That Life Can Offer, To Have As Servants By Skill Those Who By Nature Are Our Masters.

When Everyone Covets Something, They Are Easily Annoyed By It.

The Heaven Of The Envied Is Hell For The Envious.

Respect Yourself If You Would Have Others Respect You.

Watchfulness Is The Only Guard Against Cunning. Be Intent On His Intentions. Many Succeed In Making Others Do Their Own Affairs, And Unless You Possess The Key To Their Motives You May At Any Moment Be Forced To Take Their Chestnuts Out Of The Fire To The Damage Of Your Own Fingers.

Never Have A Companion That Casts You In The Shade.

Know How To Play The Card Of Contempt. It Is The Most Politic Kind Of Revenge. For There Are Many Of Whom We Should Have Known Nothing If Their Distinguished Opponents Had Taken No Notice Of Them. There Is No Revenge Like Oblivion, For It Is The Entombment Of The Unworthy In The Dust Of Their Own Nothingness.

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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If You Are Wise, Live As You Can; If You Cannot, Live As You Would.

Nothing Is Good For Him For Whom Nothing Is Bad.

Those Who Insist On The Dignity Of Their Office Show They Have Not Deserved It.

Help Others Solve Their Problems; Standing Farther Away, You Can Often See Matters More Clearly Than They Do. . . The Greatest Service You Can Render Someone Else Is Helping Him Or Her Help Themselves.

Attempt Easy Tasks As If They Were Difficult, And Difficult As If They Were Easy; In The One Case That Confidence May Not Fall Asleep, In The Other That It May Not Be Dismayed.

The Worthless Usually Live Long.

Wisdom And Courage Make Mutual Contributions To Greatness.

An Ounce Of Prudence Is Worth A Pound Of Cleverness.

All Victories Breed, And That Over Your Superior Is Foolish Or Fatal.

Fools Rush In Through The Door; For Folly Is Always Bold.

Never Risk Your Reputation On A Single Shot, For If You Miss The Loss Is Irreparable.

When You Find Fortune Favorable, Stride Boldly Forward, For She Favors The Bold, And Being A Woman, The Young.

Knowledge Without Wisdom Is Double Folly.

Do Not Make Mistakes About Character. Better Be Cheated In The Price Than In The Quality Of Goods.

Know How To Use Evasion. That Is How Smart People Get Out Of Difficulties.

Yes And No Are Soon Said, But Give Much To Think Over.

There Is No Revenge Like Oblivion, For It Is The Entombment Of The Unworthy In The Dust Of Their Own Nothingness.

Begin With Another's To End With Your Own.

We Often Have To Put Up With Most From Those On Whom We Most Depend.

The Wise Have A Solid Sense Of Silence And The Ability To Keep A Storehouse Of Secrets. Their Capacity And Character Are Respected.

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A Gilded No Is More Satisfactory Than A Dry Yes.

One Who Was Abhorred By All In Prosperity Is Adored By All In Adversity.

The Wise Persono Would Rather See Others Needing Him Than Thanking Him.

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Politeness Is The Chief Sign Of Culture.

Do Not Show Your Wounded Finger For Everything Will Knock Up Against It.

Fortune Pays You Sometimes For The Intensity Of Her Favors By The Shortness Of Their Duration. She Soon Tires Of Carrying Any One Long On Her Shoulders.

Character And Intelligence Are The Poles You Talent Spins On, Displaying Your Gifts.

Put Yourself On View. This Brings Your Talents To Light.

Not He That Adorns But He That Adores Makes A Divinity.

Sometimes It Proves The Highest Understanding Not To Understand.

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It Is More Offensive To Outshine In Dignity Than In Personal Attractions.

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Many Would Be Wise If They Did Not Think Themselves Wise.

It Is Profound Philosophy To Sound The Depths Of Feeling And Distinguish Traits Of Character. Men Must Be Studied As Deeply As Books.

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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

Rate The Intensive Above The Extensive. The Perfect Does Not Lie In Quantity, But In Quality.

Some Would Be Sages If They Did Not Believe They Were So Already.

The Wise Does At Once What The Fool Does At Last.

It Is Impossible To Live Without Brains, Either One's Own Or Borrowed.

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Luck Can Be Assisted. It Is Not All Chance With The Wise.

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Many People Who Pretend To Be Very Busy Have The Least To Do.

The Things We Remember Best Are Those Better Forgotten.

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Many Have Had Their Greatness Made For Them By Their Enemies.

Exaggeration Is A Branch Of Lying.

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To Be At Ease Is Better Than To Be At Business. Nothing Really Belongs To Us But Time, Which You Have Even If You Have Nothing Else.

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A Prudent Man Will Think More Important What Fate Has Conceded To Him, Than What It Has Denied.

What Is Not Seen Is As If It Was Not. Even The Right Does Not Receive Proper Consideration If It Does Not Seem Right.

Fortune Soon Tires Of Carrying Anyone Long On Her Shoulders.

Beauty And Folly Are Generally Companions.

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Wisdom Is Immortal. She Can Wait Forever, But You Cannot.

The Greatest Wisdom Often Consist In Ignorance.

The Path To Greatness Is Along With Others.

Always Leave Something To Wish For; Otherwise You Will Be Miserable From Your Very Happiness.

There Are Rules To Luck, Not Everything Is Chance For The Wise; Luck Can Be Helped By Skill.

There Is No Wilderness Like A Life Without Friends.

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The Liar Suffers Twice: He Neither Believes Nor Is Believed.

Cultivate Those Who Can Teach You.

The Sage Has One Advantage: He Is Immortal. If This Is Not His Century, Many Others Will Be.

Knowledge Without Courage Is Sterile.

There Is No Desert Like Being Friendless.

Nature Often Lets Us Down When We Most Need Her; Let Us Turn To Art.

What The Multitude Says, Is So, Or Soon Will Be So.

The Sage Never Seems To Know His Own Merits, For Only By Not Noticing Them Can You Call Others' Attention To Them.

A Wise Prince Must Never Take Things Easy In Times Of Peace.

It Is Good To Vary In Order That You May Frustrate The Curious, Especially Those Who Envy You.

Keep Expectation Alive. Keep Stirring It Up. Let Much Promise More, And Great Deeds Herald Greater.

Friendship Multiplies The Good Of Life And Divides The Evil.

Few Are The Friends Of A Mans Self, Most Those Of His Circumstances.

Leave Your Luck While Still Winning.

Work Is The Price Which Is Paid For Reputation.

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A Man Is Judged By His Friends, For The Wise And The Foolish Have Never Agreed.

Aspire Rather To Be A Hero Than Merely Appear One.

Honorable Beginnings Should Serve To Awaken Curiosity, Not To Heighten People's Expectations. We Are Much Better Off When Reality Surpasses Our Expectations, And Something Turns Out Better Than We Thought It Would.

Always Act As If You Were Seen.

Little Said Is Soon Amended. There Is Always Time To Add A Word, Never To Withdraw One.

The Sole Advantage Of Power Is That You Can Do More Good.

Do Not Be Held A Cheat, Even Though It Is Impossible To Live Today Without Being One. Let Your Greatest Cunning Lie In Covering Up What Looks Like Cunning.

At Twenty A Man Is A Peacock, At Thirty A Lion, At Forty A Camel, At Fifty A Serpent, At Sixty A Dog, At Seventy An Ape, At Eighty A Nothing At All.

A Wise Man Gets More Use From His Enemies Than A Fool From His Friends.

There Are Friendships Merely For Pleasure, Some For The Exchange Of Ideas. Rarest Are Those Friends Of One's Inmost Self.

To Oblige People Often Costs Little And Helps Much.

The Wise Are Always Impatient, For He That Increases Knowledge Increases Impatience Of Folly.

Hope Is A Great Falsifier Of Truth.

Courtesy Is The Politic Witchery Of Great Personages.

A Beautiful Woman Should Break Her Mirror Early.

Knowing How To Keep A Friend Is More Important Than Gaining A New One.

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It Is Therefore An Excellent Device To Acquire Knowledge From Everybody.

Without Courage, Wisdom Bears No Fruit.

Harness The Imagination, For She Is The Whole Of Happiness.

A Man Of Honour Should Never Forget What He Is Because He Sees What Others Are.

Hope Has A Good Memory, Gratitude A Bad One.

To Overvalue Something Is A Form Of Lying.

No' And 'yes' Are Words Quickly Said, But They Need A Great Amount Of Thought Before You Utter Them.

The Envious Die Not Once, But As Oft As The Envied Win Applause.

Evil Report Carries Further Than Any Applause.

The Happy Are An Exception Who Enjoy Innocently Their Simple Happiness.

Simple Happiness

The More Merit, The Less Affection.

The True Way Is The Middle One, Halfway Between Deserving A Place And Pushing Oneself Into It.

Wise Men Appreciate All Men, For They See The Good In Each And Know How Hard It Is To Make Anything Good.

Even Knowledge Has To Be In The Fashion, And Where It Is Not, It Is Wise To Affect Ignorance.

There Is None Who Cannot Teach Somebody Something, And There Is None So Excellent But He Is Excelled.

Let Him That Hath No Power Of Patience Retire Within Himself, Though Even There He Will Have To Put Up With Himself.

To Equal A Predecessor, One Must Have Twice They Worth.

Tis Much To Gain Universal Admiration; More, Universal Love.

Hear, See, And Be Silent.

If To Talk To Oneself When Alone Is Folly, It Must Be Doubly Unwise To Listen To Oneself In The Presence Of Others.

Keep To Yourself The Final Touches Of Your Art.

He That Has Satisfied His Thirst Turns His Back On The Well.

Make Your Friends Your Teachers And Mingle The Pleasures Of Conversation With The Advantages Of Instruction.

God Himself Chasteneth Not With A Rod But With Time.

Better Mad With The Rest Of The World Than Wise Alone.

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.

A Single Lie Destroys A Whole Reputation For Integrity.

A Synonym Is A Word You Use When You Can't Spell The Other One.

Peacemakers Not Only Live, They Rule Life.

Know The Great Men Of Your Age.

He That Communicates His Secret To Another Makes Himself That Other's Slave.

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.

To Keep Is More Important Than To Make Friends.

Maturity Of Mind Is Best Shown In Slow Belief.

Do Not Be Inaccessible. None Is So Perfect That He Does Not Need At Times The Advice Of Others. He Is An Incorrigible Ass Who Will Never Listen To Any One. Even The Most Surpassing Intellect Should Find A Place For Friendly Counsel. Sovereignty Itself Must Learn To Lean. There Are Some That Are Incorrigible Simply Because They Are Inaccessible: They Fall To Ruin Because None Dares To Extricate Them. The Highest Should Have The Door Open For Friendship; It May Prove The Gate Of Help. A Friend Must Be Free To Advise, And Even To Upbraid, Without Feeling Embarrassed.

One Should Cultivate Good Habits Of Memory, For It Is Capable Of Making Existence A Paradise Or An Inferno.

You Should Aim To Be Independent Of Any One Vote, Of Any One Fashion, Of Any One Century.

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.

We Live By Information, Not By Sight.

La Galantería Y La Honra Tienen Esta Ventaja, Que Se Quedan: Aquélla En Quien La Usa, ésta En Quien La Haze.

Fortunate People Often Have Very Favorable Beginnings And Very Tragic Endings. What Matters Isn't Being Applauded When You Arrive - For That Is Common - But Being Missed When You Leave.

I Strive To Be Brief, And I Become Obscure.

Self Improvement

Have Friends. 'tis A Second Existence.

He Who Finds Fortune On His Side Should Go Briskly Ahead, For She Is Wont To Favor The Bold.

Admiration Is The Basis Of Ignorance.

Let The First Impulse Pass, Wait For The Second.

Knowledge And Courage Take Turns At Greatness.

Words Are Feminine; Deeds Are Masculine.

Politeness And A Sense Of Honor Have This Advantage: We Bestow Them On Others Without Losing A Thing.

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.

If There Is Nothing Left To Desire, There Is Everything To Fear, An Unhappy State Of Happiness.

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.

Chance Has Something To Say, Even How To Write A Good Letter.

Success Rarely Brings Satisfaction.

Most Do Violence To Their Natural Aptitude, And Thus Attain Superiority In Nothing.

Possession Hinders Enjoyment. It Merely Gives You The Right To Keep Things For Or From Others, And Thus You Gain More Enemies Than Friends.

You May Be Obliged To Wage War, But Not To Use Poisoned Arrows.

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