Baltasar Gracian wrote from inside pressure, not from a quiet study detached from power. He lived in Spain from 1601 to 1658, taught as a Jesuit, preached, advised, observed patrons, rivals, soldiers, scholars, and courtiers at close range. His Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia, published in 1647, contains 300 compact counsels on judgment, timing, reputation, restraint, and influence. The book works because it treats human behavior without decoration. People compete for attention, protect status, hide motives, punish visible weakness, and reward those who understand the room before speaking.
This reading of Gracian is practical rather than ornamental. His maxims are useful for founders, managers, negotiators, consultants, public figures, and anyone whose work depends on trust, perception, and decisions under social pressure. The advice is not about becoming manipulative. It is about seeing incentives clearly, choosing words with care, refusing needless exposure, and acting before emotion turns a solvable problem into a public wound.
- Strategic silence Gracian treats silence as an active tool. In negotiations, hiring, leadership meetings, and online reputation management, withheld information can protect leverage. A person who explains every motive gives others a map of where to press.
- Measured imperfection He understood that flawless performance can provoke envy. A small visible limitation, handled calmly, can make competence easier to trust. This is useful for leaders who need authority without creating distance from the team.
- Timing the exit Gracian returns often to endings. Leave a role, meeting, argument, product cycle, or public exchange before fatigue damages the result. A strong close preserves memory better than a loud finish.
- Reading incentives Many of the 300 maxims focus on discovering what moves each person. Status, fear, profit, loyalty, vanity, duty, and resentment produce different behavior. Good judgment begins with identifying the real motive, not the polite explanation.
- Protecting reputation For Gracian, reputation is accumulated capital. One careless disclosure, one needless quarrel, or one badly timed display of pride can cost more than years of quiet competence.
The court culture Gracian studied has disappeared, but the mechanics remain recognizable. A seventeenth century patronage network rewarded access, discretion, and timing. A digital workplace rewards many of the same habits under new names. The court whisper became the screenshot. The salon judgment became the comment thread. The rival who watched for weakness now has analytics, search history, and a public archive of careless words.
Arthur Schopenhauer admired Gracian enough to translate the book into German in the nineteenth century, which helped bring it to a wider European readership. That detail matters because it shows the work was not treated as a curiosity of Spanish Baroque prose. Philosophers, diplomats, and later business readers returned to it because the 300 counsels compress a durable psychology of power. The best way to read them is slowly, one maxim at a time, then ask where the same pattern appears in a boardroom, a client call, a partnership dispute, a personal brand decision, or a private conversation that should stay private.
Baltasar Gracián Quotes
1. Everything is at its Acme
especially the art of making one's way in the world; more is required now to make a single wise man than formerly to make Seven Sages.
2. Character and Intellect
the two poles of our capacity; one without the other is but halfway to happiness, for intellect sufficeth not without character.
3. Keep Matters for a Time in Suspense
admiration at their novelty heightens the value of your achievements, and a little mystery with everything arouses veneration.
4. Knowledge and Courage
these are the elements of greatness; each is as much as he knows, and knowledge without courage is sterile.
5. Create a Feeling of Dependence
the wise man would rather see men needing him than thanking him, for hope has a good memory and gratitude a bad one.
6. A Man at his Highest Point
we are not born perfect; every day we develop in personality and calling until we reach the full round of our accomplishments.
7. Avoid Victories over Superiors
all victories breed hate, and victory over a superior is foolish or fatal, for superiority is always detested.
8. To be without Passions
there is no higher rule than that over oneself and one's impulses, for while passion rules the character there is no true freedom.
9. Avoid the Faults of your Nation
it is a triumph of cleverness to correct in oneself those national failings that others blame by way of warning.
10. Fortune and Fame
fortune is fickle and fame enduring; the first is for life, the second afterwards, one against envy and the other against oblivion.
11. Cultivate those who can teach you
let friendly intercourse be a school of knowledge, and culture be taught through conversation.
12. Nature and Art
there is no beauty unadorned and no excellence that does not need the polish of art to improve the good and remedy the evil.
13. Act sometimes on Second Thoughts, sometimes on First Impulse
sagacity fights with strategic changes of intention and conquers by the unexpected.
14. The Thing Itself and the Way it is done
substance is not enough; a bad manner spoils everything, while a good one sweetens truth and gilds refusal.
15. Keep Ministering Spirits
it is rare greatness to make use of the wise, and to have as servants by skill those who by nature are our masters.
16. Knowledge and Good Intentions
these together ensure continuance of success; knowledge without sense is double folly.
17. Vary the Mode of Action
do not always act in the same way, for uniformity is soon recognised and designs are frustrated by anticipation.
18. Application and Ability
there is no attaining eminence without both, and where they unite there is the greatest eminence.
19. Arouse no Exaggerated Expectations on entering
the real can never equal the imagined, for it is easy to form ideals and difficult to realise them.
20. A Man of the Age
not every one finds the age he deserves, and even when he finds it he does not always know how to use it.
21. The Art of being Lucky
there are rules of luck; it is not all chance with the wise, for luck can be assisted by care.
22. A Man of Knowledge to the Point
wise men arm themselves with tasteful erudition and practical knowledge of what is going on.
23. Be Spotless
few live without some weak point, yet a single cloud can hide the whole sun of reputation.
24. Keep the Imagination under Control
sometimes correcting and sometimes assisting it, for imagination can tyrannise over life and make us contented or discontented.
25. Know how to take a Hint
the truths which concern us most can only be half spoken, but with attention we can grasp the whole meaning.
26. Find out each Man's Thumbscrew
every will has its special motive; know the ruling passion and you hold the key to action.
27. Prize Intensity more than Extent
excellence resides in quality, not in quantity; the best is always few and rare.
28. Common in Nothing
do not be vulgar in taste or intelligence; while vulgar folly wonders, wisdom watches for the trick.
29. A Man of Rectitude
he clings to the sect of right so firmly that neither the passions of the mob nor the violence of the tyrant can make him transgress.
30. Have naught to do with Occupations of Ill-repute
avoid pursuits that bring more notoriety than repute, for singularity often becomes ridicule.
31. Select the Lucky and avoid the Unlucky
ill-luck is generally the penalty of folly, and no disease is so contagious to those who share it.
32. Have the Reputation of being Gracious
it is the chief glory of the high and mighty to be gracious and to conquer universal goodwill.
33. Know how to Withdraw
it is a great lesson to know how to deny, and a greater one to know how to deny oneself in affairs and persons.
34. Know your strongest Point
cultivate your pre-eminent gift, for every one would have excelled in something had he known his strong point.
35. Think over Things, most over the most Important
all fools come to grief from want of thought, and the wise man thinks most deeply where difficulty is deepest.
36. In Acting or Refraining, weigh your Luck
know how to guide your luck while waiting for it, and retire when your star is unfavourable.
37. Keep a Store of Sarcasms, and know how to use them
such shafts test men's moods, yet their use demands the greatest tact.
38. Leave your Luck while Winning
a fine retreat is as good as a gallant attack; Fortune soon tires of carrying any one long on her shoulders.
39. Recognise when Things are ripe, and then enjoy them
all works reach a point of maturity, and good taste knows how to enjoy them at their ripest.
40. The Goodwill of People
it is much to gain universal admiration, but more to gain universal love through kindly acts and courtesy.
41. Never Exaggerate
exaggeration is a prodigality of judgment and shows narrowness of knowledge or taste.
42. Born to Command
there is an inborn power of rule by which some hold hearts and minds more by a gesture than others by a harangue.
43. Think with the Few and speak with the Many
truth is for the few, error is common and vulgar, and prudence knows when to retire into silence.
44. Sympathy with great Minds
it is an heroic quality to agree with heroes, and a natural kinship of hearts and minds wins without words.
45. Use, but do not abuse, Cunning
everything artificial should be concealed, most of all cunning, which is hated when seen.
46. Master your Antipathies
good sense masters dislike, for aversion to those better than ourselves degrades us.
47. Avoid Affairs of Honour
it is easier to avoid such affairs than to come well out of them, for one affair of honour may lead to dishonour.
48. Be Thorough
the interior must be at least as much as the exterior, for a thing may be more than it seems.
49. Observation and Judgment
a man with these rules things, and is not ruled by them.
50. Never lose Self-respect
let your own right feeling be the true standard of your rectitude, above all external sanctions.
51. Know how to Choose well
most of life depends thereon, and to be choice one must know how to choose the best.
52. Never be put out
self-possession is a sign of greatness, and disturbance reveals where the fortress is weak.
53. Diligent and Intelligent
diligence executes what intelligence discovers, and the union of both conquers difficulty.
54. Know how to show your Teeth
even hares can pull a lion's mane when he is dead; therefore let gentleness have the support of strength.
55. Wait
he that can wait has much within his power, for time and patience turn many chances.
56. Have Presence of Mind
a wise promptitude is more valuable in sudden cases than slow deliberation after the opportunity has passed.
57. Slow and Sure
the wise arrive late and safe, for speed without judgment often ends in ruin.
58. Adapt Yourself to your Company
become all things to all men in lawful measure, and fit yourself to the dispositions you encounter.
59. Finish off well
in the house of Fortune, if you enter by the gate of pleasure you must leave by that of sorrow unless prudence governs the end.
60. A Sound Judgment
some are born prudent, and with this advantage they meet success halfway.
61. To Excel in what is Excellent
a great excellence in a great subject is the mark of a rare spirit.
62. Use good Instruments
the excellence of the tool aids the excellence of the work, and a great undertaking needs fit means.
63. To be the First of the Kind is an Excellence
novelty attracts admiration, and priority gives distinction.
64. Avoid Worry
prudence prevents the little cares from becoming tyrants of the mind.
65. Elevated Taste
taste can be cultivated, and the mind grows noble by preferring the noble.
66. See that Things end well
good endings crown the work, for success is judged more by the close than by the beginning.
67. Prefer Callings en Evidence
choose occupations that show worth clearly and allow merit to be recognised.
68. It is better to help with Intelligence than with Memory
intelligence works with living force; memory alone is a storehouse.
69. Do not give way to every common Impulse
vulgar impulses lead to vulgar acts, and dignity requires inner rule.
70. Know how to Refuse
not everything may be granted, and a prudent refusal is often a greater favour than a careless yes.
71. Do not Vacillate
indecision gives opportunity to others and destroys confidence in oneself.
72. Be Resolute
once prudence has chosen, firmness must execute.
73. Utilise Slips
the wise make use even of error and turn accidents into advantage.
74. Do not be Unsociable
a man must not be inaccessible, for society is the field where prudence proves itself.
75. Choose an Heroic Ideal
choose rather the highest pattern than the easiest, for imitation raises or lowers the mind.
76. Do not always be Jesting
he that is always ready for jests is never ready for serious things.
77. Be all Things to all Men
discreet adaptation is not falseness but the art of living with diverse tempers.
78. The Art of undertaking Things
begin with prudence, continue with constancy, and complete with skill.
79. A Genial Disposition
a pleasant nature wins more hearts than force, and sweetness oils the machinery of life.
80. Take care to get Information
knowledge beforehand prevents errors afterwards.
81. Renew your Brilliance
excellence must be refreshed, for admiration fades when it is never renewed.
82. Drain Nothing to the Dregs, neither Good nor Ill
know how to stop before enjoyment becomes satiety or misfortune becomes despair.
83. Allow Yourself some venial Fault
complete perfection is often disliked; a small harmless defect can reconcile envy.
84. Make use of your Enemies
the wise gain profit even from opposition, for enemies see faults that friends conceal.
85. Do not play Manille
do not expose yourself to needless hazard or enter games where skill is swallowed by chance.
86. Prevent Scandal
reputation is delicate, and prudence keeps away not only guilt but the appearance of guilt.
87. Culture and Elegance
cultivation gives finish to nature and makes merit acceptable.
88. Let your Behaviour be Fine and Noble
noble conduct dignifies action and gives beauty to even ordinary things.
89. Know Yourself
know your temper, judgment, inclinations, and limits, for self-knowledge is the beginning of self-command.
90. The Secret of Long Life
live well, not merely long; order, moderation, and prudence lengthen the value of days.
91. Never set to work at Anything if you have any Doubts of its Prudence
action with inner doubt already carries its punishment.
92. Transcendent Wisdom
the highest wisdom rises above common rules while still fulfilling the law of prudence.
93. Versatility
the complete person is fit for many occasions and is not confined to a single narrow use.
94. Keep the extent of your Abilities unknown
let no one measure the bottom of your capacity; expectation and reserve increase respect.
95. Keep Expectation alive
desire lives on hope, and satisfaction without reserve soon ends dependence.
96. The highest Discretion
the finest prudence knows what to reveal, what to conceal, what to attempt, and what to leave alone.
97. Obtain and preserve a Reputation
reputation is hard to gain and easy to lose; once acquired, it must be guarded like treasure.
98. Write your Intentions in Cypher
let purpose be hidden until action makes concealment needless.
99. Reality and Appearance
things do not pass for what they are but for what they seem, and wise men attend to both.
100. A Man without Illusions, a wise Christian, a philosophic Courtier
see the world as it is, serve God with wisdom, and live among men without self-deception.
101. One half of the World laughs at the other, and Fools are they all
each mocks what he does not understand, and universal folly laughs in a circle.
102. Be able to stomach big slices of Luck
prosperity has its digestion; great fortune requires a great spirit to bear it.
103. Let each keep up his Dignity
every role has its decorum, and dignity lost is not easily recovered.
104. Try your hand at Office
employment tests capacity, and office reveals what mere promise conceals.
105. Don't be a Bore
brevity pleases; importunity wearies, and even merit becomes distasteful when it is tedious.
106. Do not parade your Position
dignity is diminished when it must announce itself.
107. Show no Self-satisfaction
merit praised by its owner loses value in the ears of others.
108. The Path to Greatness is along with Others
rise by association with the eminent, for greatness is helped by great company.
109. Be not Censorious
perpetual criticism makes a man feared, not esteemed.
110. Do not wait till you are a Sinking Sun
withdraw before decline compels withdrawal, and leave admiration behind.
111. Have Friends
friendship multiplies life and gives support where power and wealth fail.
112. Gain Goodwill
goodwill is a second fortune and often more useful than ability alone.
113. In Prosperity prepare for Adversity
the wise store shelter in sunshine against the coming storm.
114. Never Compete
rivalry lowers dignity and gives another the measure of your strength.
115. Get used to the Failings of your Familiars
those who live near us bring defects with virtues, and prudence learns how to bear both.
116. Only act with Honourable Men
honourable associates preserve honour, while base company contaminates action.
117. Never talk of Yourself
self-talk is vanity when praised, weakness when blamed, and imprudence in either case.
118. Acquire the Reputation of Courtesy
courtesy costs little and buys much, for men judge the heart by manners.
119. Avoid becoming Disliked
hatred multiplies enemies faster than merit can win friends.
120. Live Practically
wisdom must descend from speculation into conduct.
121. Do not make a Business of what is no Business
avoid needless occupation, for trifles consume life.
122. Distinction in Speech and Action
elegance of word and deed gives shine to substance.
123. Avoid Affectation
whatever is artificial in manner offends more than natural imperfection.
124. Get Yourself missed
absence, wisely used, increases value and makes presence desired.
125. Do not be a Black List
do not be known as the register of others' faults.
126. Folly consists not in committing Folly, but in not hiding it when committed
error is human, but ostentation in error is double folly.
127. Grace in Everything
grace gives charm to merit and makes even small things pleasing.
128. Highmindedness
noble souls aim high and are not trapped by petty motives.
129. Never Complain
complaint reveals weakness and gives others power over your wounds.
130. Do and be seen Doing
merit must sometimes be visible, for hidden excellence is often useless excellence.
131. Nobility of Feeling
greatness of soul is shown less in fortune than in the way one bears and uses it.
132. Revise your Judgments
first impressions deceive; wisdom corrects itself.
133. Better Mad with the rest of the World than Wise alone
prudence sometimes conforms outwardly where solitary wisdom would be punished.
134. Double your Resources
have a second means when the first fails, for reliance on one support is weakness.
135. Do not nourish the Spirit of Contradiction
contradiction for its own sake makes truth itself unwelcome.
136. Post Yourself in the Centre of Things
from the centre one sees more, influences more, and is less surprised.
137. The Sage should be Self-sufficing
he carries within himself the resources others seek outside.
138. The Art of letting Things alone
not all difficulties are cured by action; some are best conquered by being left.
139. Recognise unlucky Days
there are times when prudence withdraws and waits for a better hour.
140. Find the Good in a Thing at once
the wise first discover utility, not complaint.
141. Do not listen to Yourself
self-flattery is the most dangerous counsellor.
142. Never from Obstinacy take the Wrong Side because your Opponent has anticipated you in taking the Right One
love truth more than victory.
143. Never become Paradoxical in order to avoid the Trite
singularity is not wisdom when it rejects what is true and common.
144. Begin with Another's to end with your Own
use what is granted to lead toward what is desired.
145. Do not show your wounded Finger
every revealed weakness invites attack.
146. Look into the Interior of Things
appearances are often false; prudence penetrates to the substance.
147. Do not be Inaccessible
dignity should not become distance so great that it turns goodwill into resentment.
148. Have the Art of Conversation
conversation is the marketplace of judgment, courtesy, and knowledge.
149. Know how to put off Ills on Others
prudence sometimes transfers burdens without injustice and escapes needless harm.
150. Know how to get your Price for Things
value depends on timing, demand, and the art of not giving too cheaply.
151. Think beforehand
foresight is better than repentance; he who anticipates danger has already half escaped it.
152. Never have a Companion who casts you in the Shade
choose company that assists your light, not one that eclipses it.
153. Beware of entering where there is a great Gap to be filled
difficult succession exposes defects and compares you with the absent great.
154. Do not Believe, or Like, lightly
credulity and easy affection both betray judgment.
155. The Art of getting into a Passion
even anger must be governed, for passion without art is self-betrayal.
156. Select your friends
friendship is chosen fortune, and bad selection makes intimacy dangerous.
157. Do not make Mistakes about Character
to misread a man is to mismanage every dealing with him.
158. Make use of your Friends
friendship should be honoured by use, not wasted by abuse.
159. Put up with Fools
the world is full of them, and impatience with them is a daily punishment.
160. Be careful in Speaking
words once spoken cannot be recalled, and speech is the commonest path to danger.
161. Know your pet Faults
every man has a favourite weakness, and knowing it is the first step to mastering it.
162. How to triumph over Rivals and Detractors
conquer them by merit, for every success tightens the cord round envy.
163. Never, from Sympathy with the unfortunate, involve Yourself in his Fate
pity must not become imprudence.
164. Throw Straws in the Air
test the direction of opinion before committing yourself.
165. Wage War Honourably
even conflict has laws, and victory without honour is defeat of reputation.
166. Distinguish the Man of Words from the Man of Deeds
promise is wind; performance is substance.
167. Know how to take your own Part
self-defence is necessary, but it must be made with judgment and measure.
168. Do not indulge in the Eccentricities of Folly
folly becomes worse when it seeks distinction.
169. Be more careful not to Miss once than to Hit a hundred times
one failure may undo many successes in the eyes of men.
170. In all Things keep Something in Reserve
reserve preserves power, mystery, and future resource.
171. Waste not Influence
influence spent on trifles is lost when great matters arrive.
172. Never contend with a Man who has nothing to Lose
such a contest risks your credit against another's desperation.
173. Do not be Glass in Intercourse, still less in Friendship
do not be fragile, transparent, or easily broken in human dealings.
174. Do not live in a Hurry
many finish their fortune before their life by devouring more than they can digest.
175. A Solid Man
solidity joins substance, judgment, and constancy, and does not evaporate in appearances.
176. Have Knowledge, or know those that have Knowledge
either possess wisdom yourself or have access to those who do.
177. Avoid Familiarities in Intercourse
too much familiarity weakens respect and wears out courtesy.
178. Trust your Heart
when disciplined by judgment, the heart often perceives what calculation misses.
179. Reticence is the Seal of Capacity
silence gives weight to talent and preserves inner resources.
180. Never guide the Enemy to what he has to do
do not teach opposition how to harm you.
181. The Truth, but not the whole Truth
truth must be spoken with prudence, for full disclosure may be danger rather than virtue.
182. A Grain of Boldness in Everything
boldness seasons action and gives life to prudence.
183. Do not hold your Views too firmly
obstinacy turns judgment into prison.
184. Do not be Ceremonious
ceremony beyond measure becomes burden rather than honour.
185. Never stake your Credit on a single Cast
reputation is too precious to risk on one throw.
186. Recognise Faults, however high placed
rank does not abolish defects, and prudence must see through elevation.
187. Do pleasant Things Yourself, unpleasant things through Others
win affection directly and delegate what causes dislike.
188. Be the Bearer of Praise
praise carried to another wins goodwill without cost.
189. Utilise Another's Wants
need opens the door to influence, and prudence knows when to serve and when to ask.
190. Find Consolation in all Things
wisdom extracts some comfort even from loss.
191. Do not take Payment in Politeness
fine words are not performance, and courtesy without substance is fraud.
192. Peaceful Life, a long Life
quiet preserves both days and reputation.
193. Watch him that begins with Another's to end with his Own
some borrow your ground only to build their own design.
194. Have reasonable Views of Yourself and of your Affairs
self-estimation must neither flatter nor degrade, but measure truly.
195. Know how to Appreciate
discern value where it lies, for appreciation is a kind of wisdom.
196. Know your ruling Star
understand where your fortune favours you and where it fails.
197. Do not carry Fools on your Back
helping folly often makes you answer for it.
198. Know how to transplant Yourself
some places favour one man more than another, and fortune varies with climate, office, and company.
199. To find a proper Place by Merit, not by Presumption
seek position by worth, not by empty forwardness.
200. Leave Something to wish for
satiety ends desire, and demand is the measure of value.
201. They are all Fools who seem so besides half the rest
folly is more common than it appears, and appearance itself is often evidence.
202. Words and Deeds make the Perfect Man
speech reveals the mind and action proves it.
203. Know the great Men of your Age
to know the eminent is to know the living standards of excellence.
204. Attempt easy Tasks as if they were difficult, and difficult as if they were easy
care prevents failure in small things, confidence prevents fear in great ones.
205. Know how to play the Card of Contempt
some things are defeated best by being disregarded.
206. Know that there are vulgar Natures everywhere
rank and place do not exempt men from vulgarity.
207. Be Moderate
excess spoils judgment, pleasure, and reputation.
208. Do not die of the Fools' Disease
do not let vanity, haste, or folly ruin what prudence could preserve.
209. Keep Yourself free from common Follies
commonness in error does not excuse it.
210. Know how to play the Card of Truth
truth has power, but it must be played at the right moment and in the right way.
211. In Heaven all is bliss
on earth fortune varies, and prudence lies in bearing its changes without surrender.
212. Keep to Yourself the final Touches of your Art
the last refinements give mastery and should not be lightly disclosed.
213. Know how to Contradict
contradiction must be artful, not brutal, and should correct without humiliating.
214. Do not turn one Blunder into two
a mistake is worsened by obstinate defence.
215. Watch him that acts on Second Thoughts
delayed intention may conceal a deeper design.
216. Be Expressive
let meaning appear with force, grace, and precision.
217. Neither Love nor Hate for ever
passion should not bind judgment permanently.
218. Never act from Obstinacy but from Knowledge
firmness is virtue only when reason guides it.
219. Do not pass for a Hypocrite
even the suspicion of false virtue injures more than open defect.
220. If you cannot clothe yourself in Lionskin use Foxpelt
where force fails, use craft.
221. Do not seize Occasions to embarrass Yourself or Others
not every opportunity should be used, especially where it creates shame.
222. Reserve is proof of Prudence
a secret kept preserves liberty of action.
223. Be not Eccentric
distinction should arise from excellence, not oddity.
224. Never take Things against the Grain
wisdom works with nature, circumstance, and timing.
225. Know your chief Fault
the principal defect commands the rest; master it and you master much.
226. Take care to be Obliging
useful kindness wins durable friends.
227. Do not be the Slave of First Impressions
the first appearance is often the least reliable.
228. Do not be a Scandalmonger
spreading disgrace stains the speaker as well as the subject.
229. Plan out your Life wisely
life should be ordered as a work, not drifted through as an accident.
230. Open your Eyes betimes
see early, for late discovery often comes after the remedy.
231. Never let Things be seen half-finished
imperfect work invites criticism before it can earn praise.
232. Have a Touch of the Trader
know value, exchange, timing, and advantage in practical affairs.
233. Let not the proffered Morsel be distasteful
accept benefits with grace, or refusal will wound the giver.
234. Never trust your Honour to another, unless you have his in Pledge
where honour is at stake, make the risk mutual.
235. Know how to Ask
asking well is an art, for request, timing, and manner determine success.
236. Make an Obligation beforehand of what would have to be a Reward afterwards
turn future payment into present gratitude.
237. Never share the Secrets of your Superiors
the confidence of the powerful is dangerous when repeated.
238. Know what is wanting in Yourself
self-knowledge must include deficiencies as well as powers.
239. Do not be Captious
excessive fault-finding makes judgment odious.
240. Make use of Folly
even folly may be turned to purpose by one who understands it.
241. Put up with Raillery, but do not practise it
bear jesting with temper, but do not make it your weapon.
242. Push Advantages
when fortune opens a door, prudence enters before it closes.
243. Do not be too much of a Dove
innocence without caution invites injury.
244. Create a feeling of Obligation
benefits bind more strongly when they are felt as personal debts.
245. Original and out-of-the-way Views
originality has value when joined to judgment, not when pursued as mere novelty.
246. Never offer Satisfaction unless it is demanded
apology offered too soon may create the fault it seeks to cure.
247. Know a little more, Live a little less
life is short and knowledge large, yet wisdom requires sacrifice of mere living to knowing.
248. Do not go with the last Speaker
recent words easily sway the weak judgment; weigh before agreeing.
249. Never begin Life with what should end it
premature enjoyment spoils discipline and order.
250. When to change the Conversation
tact knows when a subject has become dangerous, dull, or unprofitable.
251. Use human Means as if there were no divine ones, and divine as if there were no human ones
combine effort and faith without neglecting either.
252. Neither belong entirely to Yourself nor entirely to Others
keep enough independence for yourself and enough service for society.
253. Do not Explain overmuch
excessive explanation weakens authority and gives critics more to seize.
254. Never despise an Evil, however small
little evils grow when neglected.
255. Do Good a little at a time, but often
frequent small benefits sustain goodwill better than one exhausted gift.
256. Go armed against Discourtesy
prepare patience and dignity against rudeness.
257. Never let Matters come to a Rupture
breaks are hard to mend, and prudence keeps relations from snapping.
258. Find out some one to share your Troubles
a burden divided is lighter and counsel shared is safer.
259. Anticipate Injuries and turn them into Favours
foresight can transform harm into advantage.
260. We belong to none and none to us entirely
possession in human relations is limited, and wisdom respects that limit.
261. Do not follow up a Folly
one foolish act need not become a course of folly.
262. Be able to Forget
memory of injuries keeps wounds open; wise forgetting restores freedom.
263. Many Things of Taste one should not possess oneself
appreciation does not require possession, and desire often spoils enjoyment.
264. Have no careless Days
fortune often attacks through the day we leave unguarded.
265. Set those under you difficult Tasks
difficulty tests capacity and raises performance.
266. Do not become Bad from sheer Goodness
excessive softness may encourage evil and injure justice.
267. Silken Words, Sugared Manners
sweetness of speech and manner wins entrance where harshness would be barred.
268. The Wise does at once what the Fool does at last
both may do the same thing, but the difference is timing.
269. Make use of the Novelty of your Position
novelty gives attention; use it before it fades.
270. Do not condemn alone that which pleases all
universal approval deserves caution before contradiction.
271. In every Occupation if you know little stick to the safest
ignorance should choose security over display.
272. Sell The Things the Tariff of Courtesy
courtesy has a price and value in every exchange.
273. Comprehend their Dispositions with whom you deal
know the temper of those before you and adapt your method accordingly.
274. Be Attractive
attraction is power without violence.
275. Join in the Game as far as Decency permits
participate enough to be sociable, but not enough to lose dignity.
276. Know how to renew your Character
reputation and character need renewal lest they grow stale.
277. Display Yourself
merit hidden too completely is as useless as treasure buried.
278. Avoid Notoriety in all Things
fame should be chosen, not noisy; notoriety is often reputation's counterfeit.
279. Do not contradict the Contradicter
some oppose for sport, and contradiction only feeds them.
280. Be Trustworthy
trust is the foundation of lasting influence.
281. Find Favour with Men of Sense
approval of the wise is worth more than applause of the crowd.
282. Make use of Absence to make Yourself more esteemed or valued
absence, used with judgment, revives esteem and desire.
283. Have the Gift of Discovery
find the hidden value in men, things, and occasions.
284. Do not be Importunate
persistence becomes offence when it passes measure.
285. Never die of another's Ill-luck
sympathy must not make you perish with another's misfortune.
286. Do not become responsible for all or for every one
universal responsibility is impossible and ruinous.
287. Never act in a Passion
passion blinds judgment and makes action servant to impulse.
288. Live for the Moment
act with attention to the present opportunity, for the hour once gone does not return.
289. Nothing depreciates a Man more than to show he is a Man like other Men
ordinary weakness exposed lowers the image of superiority.
290. 'Tis a piece of Good Fortune to combine Men's Love and Respect
love without respect is fragile, respect without love is cold.
291. Know how to Test
trial reveals truth before commitment makes error costly.
292. Let your personal Qualities surpass those of your Office
let the man be greater than the post, not the post greater than the man.
293. Maturity
at twenty the will rules, at thirty the intellect, at forty the judgment; maturity is the ripening of judgment.
294. Be moderate in your Views
moderation in opinion preserves reason and prevents needless enemies.
295. Do not Affect what you have not effected
do not pretend to deeds not done, for affectation without achievement is contemptible.
296. Noble Qualities
majestic gifts of nature and character make greatness durable and command esteem.
297. Act always as if your Acts were seen
live before the eye of judgment, for hidden acts shape visible character.
298. Three Things go to a Prodigy
fertile genius, profound intellect, and refined taste make a prodigy.
299. Leave off Hungry
demand is the measure of value; the way to please is to revive appetite by the hunger that is left.
300. In one word, be a Saint
virtue is the link of all perfections, making a man prudent, discreet, sagacious, cautious, wise, courageous, trustworthy, happy, honoured, truthful, and a universal hero.