Background Image

...

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 Gracian

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

Keep The Extent Of

Baltasar Gracian

...

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.

Views: 7

Topic

More From Baltasar Gracian

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

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.

There Is No Wilderness Like A Life Without Friends.

Without Friends

Hear, See, And Be Silent.

Attain And Maintain A Reputation, For It Is The Usufruct Of Fame. A Stiff Climb, For It Is The Issue Of Excellence, As Rare As Mediocrity Is Common.

Don't Take The Wrong Side Of An Argument Just Because Your Opponent Has Taken The Right Side.

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

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.

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

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

Be Known For Pleasing Others, Especially If You Govern Them. Ruling Other Has One Advantage: You Can Do More Good Than Anyone Else.

Pleasing Others

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

To Oblige People Often Costs Little And Helps Much.

Maturity Of Mind Is Best Shown In Slow Belief.

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

Know How To Choose Well. Most Of Life Depends Thereon. It Needs Good Taste And Correct Judgment, For Which Neither Intellect Nor Study Suffices.

When A Man's Knowledge Is Deep, He Speaks Well Of An Enemy. Instead Of Seeking Revenge, He Extends Unexpected Generosity. He Turns Insult Into Humor, ... And Astonishes His Adversary Who Finds No Reason Not To Trust Him.

Begin With Another's To End With Your Own.

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

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.

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

Many Pleasant Things Are Better When They Belong To Someone Else. When Things Belong To Others, We Enjoy Them Twice As Much, Without The Risk Of Losing Them, And With The Pleasure Of Novelty.

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

Success Rarely Brings Satisfaction.

Treat Your Enemies With Courtesy, And You'll See How Valuable It Really Is. It Costs Little But Pays A Nice Dividend: Those Who Honor Are Honored. Politeness And A Sense Of Honor Have This Advantage: We Bestow Them On Others Without Losing A Thing.

There Are Certain Inessential Activities-moths Of Precious Time-and It Is Worse To Busy Yourself With The Trivial Than To Do Nothing.

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

Peacemakers Not Only Live, They Rule Life.

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.

I Strive To Be Brief, And I Become Obscure.

Self Improvement

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.

Display Startling Novelty-rise Afresh Like The Sun Every Day. Change Too The Scene On Which You Shine, So That You Rloss May Be Felt In The Old Scenes Of Your Triumph, While The Novelty Of Your Powers Wins Applause In The New.

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

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

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

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

It Is A Great Deed To Leave Nothing For Tomorrow.

He Who Puts Off Nothing Till Tomorrow Has Done A Great Deal.

Procrastination

Putting Things Off

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

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.

Tis By No Means The Least Of Life's Rules: To Let Things Alone.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Share Weight And Woe, For Misfortune Falls With Double Force On Him That Stands Alone.

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

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

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.

One Deceit Needs Many Others, And So The Whole House Is Built In The Air And Must Soon Come To The Ground

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

Never Have A Companion That Casts You In The Shade.

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

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

Admiration Is The Basis Of Ignorance.

Sometimes It Proves The Highest Understanding Not To Understand.

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

Know The Great Men Of Your Age.

Do Not Make Mistakes About Character. That Is The Worst And Yet Easiest Error. Better Be Cheated In The Price Than In The Quality Of Goods. In Dealing With Men, More Than With Other Things, It Is Necessary To Look Within. To Know Men Is Different From Knowing Things. It Is Profound Philosophy To Sound The Depths Of Feeling And Distinguish Traits Of Character. Men Must Be Studied As Deeply As Books.

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.

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

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

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

Respect Yourself If You Would Have Others Respect You.

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.

The Best Remedy For Disturbances Is To Let Them Run Their Course, For So They Quiet Down.

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

Hurry Is The Weakness Of Fools.

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.

It Is Better To Have Too Much Courtesy Than Too Little, Provided You Are Not Equally Courteous To All, For That Would Be Injustice.

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

Everything Foreign Is Respected, Partly Because It Comes From Afar, Partly Because It Is Ready Made And Perfect.

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

The Greatest Wisdom Often Consist In Ignorance.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Simple Happiness

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

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

Fortune Soon Tires Of Carrying Anyone Long On Her Shoulders.

The Path To Greatness Is Along With Others.

Friendship Multiplies The Good Of Life And Divides The Evil.

Some Are Satisfied To Stand Politely Before The Portals Of Fortune And To Await Her Bidding; Better Those Who Push Forward, Who Employ Their Enterprise, Who On The Wings Of Their Worth And Valor Seek To Embrace Luck, And To Effectively Gain Her Favor.

Cultivate Those Who Can Teach You.

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

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

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

Even Monarchs Have Need Of Authors, And Fear Their Pens More Than Ugly Women The Painter's Pencil.

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.

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.

A Person Of Your Century: Great Persons Are Of Their Time. Not All Were Born Into A Period Worthy Of Them, And Many So Born Failed To Benefit By It. Some Merited A Better Century, For All That Is Good Does Not Always Triumph. Fashions Have Their Periods And Even The Greatest Virtues, Their Styles. But The Philosopher, Being Ageless, Has One Advantage: Should This Not Prove The Right Century, Many To Follow Will.

An Ounce Of Prudence Is Worth A Pound Of Cleverness.

Work Is The Price Which Is Paid For Reputation.

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.

A Gilded No Is More Satisfactory Than A Dry Yes.

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

The Greatest Fool Is He Who Thinks He Is Not One And All Others Are.

There Is No Wilderness Like A Life Without Friends; Friendship Multiplies Blessings And Minimizes Misfortunes; It Is A Unique Remedy Against Adversity, And It Soothes The Soul.

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

Truth Is For The Minority.

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

Nature Scarcely Ever Gives Us The Very Best; For That We Must Have Recourse To Art.

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

A Single Lie Destroys A Whole Reputation For Integrity.

Always Act As If You Were Seen.

Many Of The Things That Bring Delight Should Not Be Owned. They Are More Enjoyed If Another's, Than If Yours; The First Day They Give Pleasure To The Owner, But In All The Rest To The Others: What Belongs To Another Rejoices Doubly, Because It Is Without The Risk Of Going Stale And With The Satisfaction Of Freshness. . . The Possession Of Things Not Only Diminishes Their Enjoyment, But Augments Their Annoyance, Whether Shared Or Not Shared.

There Must Be Something Good In A Thing That Pleases So Many; Even If It Cannot Be Explained, It Is Certainly Enjoyed.

Courtesy Is The Politic Witchery Of Great Personages.

Maturity Is The Slowness In Which A Man Believes.

Hope Is A Great Falsifier. Let Good Judgment Keep Her In Check.

Knowledge Without Courage Is Sterile.

A Brand New Mediocrity Is Thought More Of Than Accustomed Excellence.

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

Knowledge Without Wisdom Is Double Folly.

Passion Colors All That It Touches In Its Own Hues.

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

Cunning Grows In Deceit At Seeing Itself Discovered, And Tries To Deceive With Truth Itselft.

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

Hope Is A Great Falsifier Of Truth.

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.

They Make The Greatest Show Of What They Have Done, Who Have Done Least.

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

Never Contend With A Man Who Has Nothing To Lose.

Nothing Is Good For Him For Whom Nothing Is Bad.

There Is No Need To Show Your Ability Before Everyone.

Human Condition

The Wise Person Finds Enemies More Useful Than The Fool Does Friends .

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

Telling The Truth

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

Let The First Impulse Pass, Wait For The Second.

Lies Always Come First, Dragging Fools Along By Their Irreparable Vulgarity. Truth Always Lags Last, Limping Along On The Arm Of Time.

Knowledge And Courage Take Turns At Greatness.

Leave Your Luck While Still Winning.

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

We Live By Information, Not By Sight.

Censure Is Like The Lightning Which Strikes The Highest Mountains.

Words Are Feminine; Deeds Are Masculine.

Friends Provoked Become The Bitterest Of Enemies.

There Is No Beauty Unaided, No Excellence That Does Not Sink To The Barbarous, Unless Saved By Art.

There Is No Desert Like Being Friendless.

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

Nothing Arouses Ambition So Much In The Heart As The Trumpet-clang Of Another's Fame.

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.]

Man Is Born A Barbarian, And Only Raises Himself Above The Beast By Culture.

It Is A Great Piece Of Skill To Know How To Guide Your Luck Even While Waiting For It.

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

The Things We Remember Best Are Those Better Forgotten.

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

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.

Oh Life, You Should Never Had Begun, But Since You Did, You Should Never End

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

God Himself Chasteneth Not With A Rod But With Time.

Evil Report Carries Further Than Any Applause.

Know What Is Evil, No Matter How Worshipped It May Be. Let The Man Of Sense Not Mistake It, Even When Clothed In Brocade, Or At Times Crowned In Gold, Because It Cannot Thereby Hide Its Hypocrisy, For Slavery Does Not Lose Its Infamy, However Noble The Master.

True Knowledge Lies In Knowing How To Live.

Wisdom And Courage Make Mutual Contributions To Greatness.

The Heaven Of The Envied Is Hell For The Envious.

Know How To Keep Anticipation Alive: Always Strive To Feed It, By Letting The Much Promise More, And The One Achievement Be The Announcement Only Of A Greater. Put Not All Your Reserves Into The First Throw; The Great Trick Is To Dole Out Strength, And To Dole Out Mind, In Such A Fashion As To Bring Forward Increasingly The Fulfillment Of What Was Expected Of You.

The Truest Wild Beasts Live In The Most Populous Places.

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.

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

To Overvalue Something Is A Form Of Lying.

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

To Keep Is More Important Than To Make Friends.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

The More Merit, The Less Affection.

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

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

Without Courage, Wisdom Bears No Fruit.

Have Friends. 'tis A Second Existence.

Do Pleasant Things Yourself, But Unpleasant Things Through Others.

Pleasant Things

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

Friendship Multiplies Blessings And...soothes The Soul.

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.

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

You Have To Appear Wiser And More Prudent Than Is Required By The People You Are Dealing With If You Want To Give A High Opinion Of Yourself.

It Is A Great Misfortune To Be Of Use To Nobody; Scarcely Less To Be Of Use To Everybody.

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

For A Thing To Remain Undone Nothing More Is Needed Than To Think Of It Done.

The Worthless Usually Live Long.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Trust Your Heart

Exaggeration Is A Prodigality Of The Judgment Which Shows The Narrowness Of One's Knowledge Or One's Taste.

Exaggeration Is

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

You Should Avoid Making Yourself Too Clear Even In Your Explanations.

Trending Author

Maria Montessori

Category