Baltasar Gracian
Baltasar Gracian
Baltasar Gracián y Morales, SJ, formerly Anglicized as Baltazar Gracian, was a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud. His writings were lauded by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche...
NationalitySpanish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth8 January 1601
CountrySpain
inspirational pleasing-others ruling
Be known for pleasing others, especially if you govern them. Ruling other has one advantage: you can do more good than anyone else.
inspirational friendship thankful
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.
inspirational motivational suicide
Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.
inspirational business reality
To be at ease is better than to be at business. Nothing really belongs to us but time, which even he has who has nothing else.
inspirational wise knowledge
A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
inspirational life doors
Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.
loss missing risk
Never risk your reputation on a single shot, for if you miss the loss is irreparable.
time truth lag
Truth always lags behind, limping along on the arm of Time.
writing letters chance
Chance has something to say in everything, even how to write a good letter
dignity offensive attraction
It is more offensive to outshine in dignity than in personal attractions.
fashion achievement promise
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.
motivation men age
Know the great men of your age.
knowing important
Knowing how to keep a friend is more important than gaining a new one.
thinking fool
The greatest fool is he who thinks he is not one and all others are.