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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.

-Baltasar Gracian

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No One Demands More

Baltasar Gracian

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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.

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

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

Hope Is A Great Falsifier Of Truth.

Keep To Yourself The Final Touches Of Your Art.

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

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

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

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

Aspire Rather To Be A Hero Than Merely Appear One.

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.

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

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

To Overvalue Something Is A Form Of Lying.

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

Censure Is Like The Lightning Which Strikes The Highest Mountains.

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

Work Is The Price Which Is Paid For Reputation.

A Beautiful Woman Should Break Her Mirror Early.

Knowledge Without Courage Is Sterile.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

A Gilded No Is More Satisfactory Than A Dry Yes.

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

Maturity Of Mind Is Best Shown In Slow Belief.

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

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

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.

Words Are Feminine; Deeds Are Masculine.

Courtesy Is The Politic Witchery Of Great Personages.

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

Success Rarely Brings Satisfaction.

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

Knowledge Without Wisdom Is Double Folly.

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

There Is No Need To Show Your Ability Before Everyone.

Human Condition

It Is A Great Deed To Leave Nothing For Tomorrow.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Always Act As If You Were Seen.

Friends Provoked Become The Bitterest Of Enemies.

There Is No Desert Like Being Friendless.

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

Exaggeration Is

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

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

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

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

Never Contend With A Man Who Has Nothing To Lose.

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

The Path To Greatness Is Along With Others.

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

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.

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.

Do Pleasant Things Yourself, But Unpleasant Things Through Others.

Pleasant Things

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

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

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.

The More Merit, The Less Affection.

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

Respect Yourself If You Would Have Others Respect You.

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

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

The Things We Remember Best Are Those Better Forgotten.

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

Procrastination

Putting Things Off

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

Admiration Is The Basis Of Ignorance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Telling The Truth

Without Courage, Wisdom Bears No Fruit.

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

Simple Happiness

Let The First Impulse Pass, Wait For The Second.

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.

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

True Knowledge Lies In Knowing How To Live.

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

Fortune Soon Tires Of Carrying Anyone Long On Her Shoulders.

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.

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

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

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

Mediocrity Obtains More With Application Than Superiority Without It.

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

He Who Laughs At Everything Is As Big A Fool As He Who Weeps At Everything.

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

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

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

Hear, See, And Be Silent.

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

Exaggeration Is A Branch Of Lying.

Exaggeration Is

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

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.

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.]

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

Begin With Another's To End With Your Own.

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

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

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

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.

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.

A Bad Manner Spoils Everything, Even Reason And Justice; A Good One Supplies Everything, Gilds A No, Sweetens A Truth, And Adds A Touch Of Beauty To Old Age Itself.

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

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.

All Men Are Idolators, Some Of Fame, Others Of Self-interest, Most Of Pleasure.

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

Deceit Comes In Through The Ears, But Usually Leaves Through The Eyes.

I Strive To Be Brief, And I Become Obscure.

Self Improvement

When Desire Dies, Fear Is Born.

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

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

Hurry Is The Weakness Of Fools.

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

Know The Great Men Of Your Age.

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

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

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

Beauty And Folly Are Generally Companions.

Beautiful Women

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

To Keep Is More Important Than To Make Friends.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Knowledge And Courage Take Turns At Greatness.

There Is No Wilderness Like A Life Without Friends.

Without Friends

An Ounce Of Prudence Is Worth A Pound Of Cleverness.

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

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

Sometimes It Proves The Highest Understanding Not To Understand.

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

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 Truth Is Generally Seen, Rarely Heard.

Nothing Is Good For Him For Whom Nothing Is Bad.

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

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.

Surfeits Of Happiness Are Fatal.

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

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.

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

Passion Colors All That It Touches In Its Own Hues.

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

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

The Heaven Of The Envied Is Hell For The Envious.

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.

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.

Maturity Is The Slowness In Which A Man Believes.

Hope Has A Good Memory, Gratitude A Bad One.

Cultivate Those Who Can Teach You.

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

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

Wisdom And Courage Make Mutual Contributions To Greatness.

God Himself Chasteneth Not With A Rod But With Time.

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

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

The Best Skill At Cards Is Knowing When To Discard.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

The Worthless Usually Live Long.

Friendship Multiplies The Good Of Life And Divides The Evil.

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

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

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

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.

Never Lose Your Self-respect, Nor Be Too Familiar With Yourself When You Are Alone. Let Your Integrity Itself Be Your Own Standard Of Rectitude, And Be More Indebted To The Severity Of Your Own Judgment Of Yourself Than To All External Percepts. Desist From Unseemly Conduct, Rather Out Of Respect For Your Own Virtue Than For The Strictures Of External Authority.

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

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

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

The Truest Wild Beasts Live In The Most Populous Places.

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

Politeness Is The Chief Sign Of Culture.

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

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.

Have Friends. 'tis A Second Existence.

Friendship Multiplies Blessings And...soothes The Soul.

Leave Your Luck While Still Winning.

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