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
along arm time truth
Truth always lags last, limping along on the arm of Time
time truth lag
Truth always lags behind, limping along on the arm of Time.
busy certain precious-time
There are certain inessential activities-moths of precious time-and it is worse to busy yourself with the trivial than to do nothing.
time clubs crutches
The crutch of Time accomplishes more than the club of Hercules.
time
God Himself chasteneth not with a rod but with time.
dog time men
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.
spanish-philosopher time withdraw
There is always time to add a word, never to withdraw one.
conquered courage difficulty joking later yields
Like love, courage is no joking matter. If it yields once, it will have to yield again, and again. The same difficulty will have to be conquered later on, and it would have been better to get it over with.
memories remember forgotten
The things we remember best are those better forgotten.
loss missing risk
Never risk your reputation on a single shot, for if you miss the loss is irreparable.
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.
gratitude grateful heaven
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.]