The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle

This book changed my life. There is one life before understanding Gracian and another life thereafter. I gave it away to more than 30 friends throughout more than 10 years. I made its reading mandatory to each one of my 4 children. My friends and I use to refer to its aforism as religious men refer to Bible salms. Last week I responded a request for advise from a friend: "Apply Gracian # 138". Regards.

got the book perfectly, thank you, love the book but there is a giant white the store sticker on the back and when I tried to take it off it was so sticky that it required major effort to take it off, so much so that there is still glue on the back of the book and since I like to keep the dust jacket on the book it's a real pain in the you know what. PLEASE use stickers that come off EASY and crap free. thanks

THIS BOOK IS WORTH FIVE TIMES THE COST. THE AUTHOR NAILED THE HUMAN SPIRIT ON THE HEAD. FOLLOW THE TEACHINGS AND YOU WILL LEARN THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE EGO CENTERED, ILLOGICAL AND GREEDY. LESSONS THAT HAVE TAKEN ME DECADES TO LEARN.

Words of wisdom from 500 years ago... just as relevant today. Full of reflections on life and those around us. I've been reading an excerpt daily and have watched the way I respond, learn from, and work with others and the world around me improve. The seemingly simple knowledge in this book, if contemplated and followed, is very very powerful.

More people would rate transactions if you (the store) didn't force customers to write a mini-essay before the upload was accepted. If you want to encourage and train people to ignore the review function, this is a good way to do it.

Although reviews are useful, customers are doing you (the store) a favor by rating. You should allow the customer to choose what fields they choose to fill in.

Product received was not the Christopher Maurer translation, which is far superior to the translation sent to me. If the Maurer translation is available, please send it to me. Also, I can't seem to find a customer service email address which could be used to clear this up. Please contact me. Thank you.

Having read this book in various editions I was looking forward to have 3 copies for presents to good friends. It was however an edition that is a shame to the wilder Co. A piece of special age old wisdom turned into an uninspired , unatractive and utterly confusion nonsense. Waste basket or recycling bin

There are three books that I read every year: The Holy Bible (NASB Updated), Sun Tzu's The Art of War (the version impeccably translated by James Clavell), and Christopher Maurer's translation of Baltasar Gracian's The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle.

When Gracian wrote his 300 aphorisms, seventeenth century Spain was a kingdom in social turmoil and political decline. As the country's moral strength waned into chaos, Gracian wrote this book not to save his country, but perhaps to save wise individuals who through a ripple effect might save Spain's culture and heritage.

Therefore, the aphorisms are not meant to be gobbled down and read as fast as possible. They are meant to be taken in order, contemplated upon, and put into practice and in the end, produce a life that is meaningful and effective.

I have seen other translations other than Maurer's, but his is much more understandable and approachable and his labor to translate 17th century Spanish figures of speech into contemporary English equivalents easily demonstrates his mastery at translation as well as his dedication to a superior product.

I had purchased this book as an impulse purchase after reading about this book in a blog by a well respected Priest. However I am disappointed by the book as it does not contain what I was searching for. Dare I say that although this book is written by a Catholic Priest in a Spanish court and i take into consideration that the times and people were different then, yet still I am very much disappointed by the product.

Worst still, this book is not written systematically and neither have the editors tried to synchronize the contents of the book.

NOT RECOMMENDED.

THE ART OF WORLDLY WISDOM. Adapted from the translation by JOSEPH JACOBS. Unabridged. Shambhala Pocket Classics. 283 pp. Boston & London : Shambhala, 1993. ISBN 0-87773-921-8 (pbk.)
Balthasar Gracian's 'The Art of Worldly Wisdom' is a collection of 300 brief maxims, most of which take up only a single page or less of this small book. His maxims teach us the art of getting along in the world.
Gracian must have been a singularly wise person. Those who are lucky enough to discover his book before making all the major mistakes of their lives should count themselves very lucky, because what the author sets out to do is to teach us, in a very clear and easy-to-understand way, how to avoid all those dumb mistakes.
You can open this book at any page and, if you are young, find out what you most definitely shouldn't (or should) be doing. And if you are old you will probably find yourself reading about all the things in your life that you shouldn't (or should) have done, and that you wouldn't (or would) have done if there had been someone as wise as Gracian around to advise you - and _if_ you had followed their advice.
Here, chosen at random, are a few of his maxims : 83. Allow yourself some forgiveable sin. 141. Do not listen to yourself. 250. When to turn the conversation around. 252. Neither belong entirely to yourself nor entirely to others. 3. Keep matters for a time in suspense. 36. Before acting or refraining, weigh your luck. 69. Do not give way to every common impulse. 195. Put up with fools. 262. Be able to forget.
Each of these maxims is fully developed and explained in the text which follows the maxim, and you are going to be amazed that anyone could have figured out so much. A handy complete list of the maxims is given on pages 261-81.
Physically, the Shambhala Pocket Classic Edition of 'The Art of Worldly Wisdom' is an attractive book, and at just 7.5 cm by 11.5 cm is small enough to fit into the smallest purse or pocket. It is well-printed, in two colors, on excellent paper, is sturdily bound in stiff decorative wraps, and is even stitched.
So if you think it's time you got your act straightened out, let Gracian show you how. You'd be hard put to find better counsel than his.

This is a wonderful small volume that you can carry in a shirt pocket or purse. The wisdom this little book contains, however, is truly timeless and will provide hours of reading enjoyment, life lessons, and fascinating food for thought and discussion. I've had this book for many years, and always keep it on my desk or a nearby shelf. I refer to it often and have taken it with me on trips over the years, as well. It looks like this mini-version is now out of print, unfortunately, though several others in the Shambhala pocket series are still available. In any format, though, many people today will still appreciate and benefit from these wise words of advice from the year 1637. The handy, portable size is just icing on the cake.

There is absolutely nothing in life harder than trying to remain a good and honorable man while at the same time living in society and trying to get something done. To do so is to constantly walk a razor's edge. That is why saints and holy men tend to gravitate to monesteries and mountains.

I would not describe this so much as a spiritual book as I would an honorable one. That's why you need to be careful- there is a thin line between honor and ego. There is also an inherent problem in trying to live according to hard and fast lists. As Lao Tzu tells us, when the Tao grows weak in the heart of men and nations, that is where "morality" and rule books begin. Still, as a source of practical principles on how to remain in the world and remain good, you could do far worse. Schopenhauer put great store in it and that is good enough for me. Also, I recall reading that George Washington carried in his pocket a small book of maxims written by a Jesuit for most of his life. I suspect that this is the book.

By the way, I am recommending this book INSPITE of the fact that it was written by a Jesuit, and not because of it. I should think Machiavelli would be much closer to their "hearts"....

El Arte de la Prudencia Baltasar Gracián.
Lo bueno si breve, dos veces bueno. Es esta una de las citas que se pueden extraer de tan buen libro de consejos y ejemplo del barroco en la literatura. Frases cargadas de giros del lenguaje, acompañadas de sabiduría por un hombre muy sagaz para aconsejar en materia de ser prudentes en la vida cotidiana. Este pequeño volumen, puede usarse como uno de esos libros de cabecera en el cual se leen párrafos todos los días. Conceptista por excelencia, Gracián nos ilumina grandemente en una época en la cual el ingenio parece relegado por el exceso de información a la que tenemos que hacer frente. A veces en nuestro afán de poseer conocimientos y estar enterados de la ultima cosa que pasa, no cultivamos el ingenio, sin saber que eso nos ayudara en muchos casos. Por ejemplo el ingenio nos puede ayudar allí donde la avalancha de conocimientos inútiles se queda corta. Podemos considerar el ingenio como la habilidad de manejarnos con los datos que tenemos para sacar partido de situaciones inesperadas. También podría ser la forma ingeniosa en que encontramos soluciones insólitas para cosas cotidianas, que las personas bien informadas, pero sin ingenio ven como avasalladoras. En definitiva una buena lectura para aquellos que deseen cultivar su ingenio.
Luis Méndez.

Gracian's "Oracle" as it has been known through the past four centuries has its admirers and detractors, but none may honestly deny its charisma, and, as far as we can tell, eternal, relevance. Gracian himself was an apostate Jesuit, in fact, an early associate of Loyola, i.e., a disenfranchised charter member. One gets the feeling that Gracian was simply too much for his fellows - his insight into their 'sins' too penetrating even for the putatively penitent.
In the deepest Augustinian sense - where 'sin' is that which brings us misery - Gracian turns his great insight - that sin is folly & folly is sin - to its most beneficial application in his economic, witty, utile, most often profound guide to prudentia (practical wisdom), that venerable, yet too often elusive, lynchpin of virtue... and success.
As Maurer tells us in his informative introduction to what is in my opinion - the definitive English translation (I can vouch only for its impact)- that Gracian learned from his former illustrious associate Aphorism 251: "Use human means as though divine ones didn't exist, and divine means as though there were no human ones". I claim that Gracian uses both - to the most efficacious extent in this slender, but ever deeper masterpiece.
To the aphorisms, themselves!
I can't list all my favorites. I'd end up hand-copying almost the entire work, and it would take a lifetime to begin sorting out what might be best. Besides, I'd rather spend my time attempting to apply the wisdom found here, though I can but hope to master the bulk of it, try as I might. More hopefully, bits and pieces of a few will encourage you to pick up a book we might all do well to read more in.

"The art of moving people's wills involves more skill than determination. You must know how to get inside the other person. Each will has its own special object of delight;they vary according to taste. Everyone idolizes something... The trick is to identify the idols that can set people in motion."

"Love - if you would be loved."

"Feel with the few, speak with the many."

"The prudent show restraint, and would rather fall short than long. True eminences are rare, so temper your esteem. To overvalue something is a form of lying."

"... there is more courage in avoiding danger than in conquering it."

"Know how to wait. It shows a great heart with deep reserves of patience. Never hurry and never give way to your emotions. Master yourself and you will master others. Stroll through the open spaces of time to the center of opportunity. Wise hesitation ripens success and brings secrets to maturity."

"End well. If you enter the house of Fortune through the door of pleasure, you will leave through the door of sorrow, and vice versa. So be careful of the way you end things, and devote more attention to a successful exit than to a highly applauded entrance. 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. Rare are those who are still wanted. Fortune seldom accompanies someone to the door."

"The wise do sooner what fools do later. Both do the same, the difference is when."

"Never come unless you're called, never go unless you are sent."

"Know your major defect. Every talent is balanced by a fault, and if you give into it, it will govern you like a tyrant. You can begin to overthrow it by paying heed to it: begin to conquer it by identifying it. Pay it the same attention as those who reproach you for it."

"Know how to take things. Never against the grain, though they're handed to you that way. There are two sides to everything. If you grab the blade, the best thing will do you harm; the most harmful with defend you if you seize it by the hilt."

"Live neither entirely for yourself, nor for others. It is a vulgar sort of tyranny."

"There are more days than luck. Be quick to act, slow to enjoy."

"Speak as if you were making out your will... the fewer words, the fewer lawsuits."

"Don't wait to be a setting sun. It is a maxim of prudent people to abandon things before being abandoned by them."

The Jesuit scholar Balrasar Gracian wrote these aphorisms over three centuries ago. His position allowed him to be a keen observer of many in positions of power. And his writing can be used today as it was in his time in business, politics, and life in general. The author shares his wisdom on how to live a life with others. His writings advise the reader on many of life's situations and on personal interactions. Whether considered a work on philosophy or behavioral science this book is one which the reader will refer too often. There is no need to read the book straight through from cover to cover but once. For in the back of this volume you will find a list of the aphorisms where you can go to the one that you feel would be appropriate to your situation and help with some valuable insight.

Gracian had a splendid understanding of human nature. This book is just phenomenal, and it is not intended to be read and left on the shelf, it must be digested little by little, like the Book of Proverbs.
His insights have been copied and rewritten all the time, because they are universal in nature. It is interesting to notice that even though Gracian gives counsel on how to deal with people and even enemies, the BIG difference we see in him when compared with other authors like Machiavelli (whom Gracian detested) is his love for virtues like courage, generosity and kindness.
Gracian writes in order to make people become better human beings, not to give advice on how to win a war or have success in business, with a finesse that unfortunately is not found easily any more in our brute and materialistic world of today.

The book contains 300 field-tested behavioral rules for an honorable and successful life. The credibility this Jesuit needs in order to tell us how to live comes from his instant truth and usefulness. Most of the maxims have the urgent clarity of tough times, but some show you how to enjoy your adventures best. His perspective is balanced and subtle.

When you use this experiential knowledge you deliberately err on the side of caution, graduating to reality faster than your peers. All of life is covered. Some maxims are explanations on character and common sense, while others advise on how to deal with people. For example, he tells us to keep matters in suspense and to be skilled in conversation. You essentially learn how not to screw up in a complex world without fairy tale endings.

A few readers will say that this "prudent" Spaniard from the 17th century is outdated, and I agree that nowadays you could survive without him. But then don't complain when your superficial person is ignored, your illusions are painfully shattered and former friends leave you in the mud. You could have saved the day if you had only listened!

This knowledge was hard won, like gold, by a reflective man who's life's work was to tell you how not to be a fool. If the advice was bad, this book would have gone out of print a few centuries ago.

These 300 maxims by the disobedient Jesuit of the 17th century are practical rules to live by if you would succeed in human society. While not rising (or sinking) to the level of Machiavellian, it must be stated that pragmatism is the guiding light behind this guide to advancement in life. It's not strictly immoral, and indeed Gracian urges the cultivation of virtue, but it also recognizes the fact that one's success depends on the approbation of a fickle, superficial and jealous humanity which sometimes has to be treated with guile, cunning and artifice when flattery, style and native talent just won't cut it. While the idealist might shrink from the book's subject matter, the realist will smile at its insightfulness.

This book should reside next to your Bible, Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", and Macchiavelli's "The Prince". Like 'War' and 'Prince' (and some parts of the Bible), Gracian's thoughts can seem a bit too tough, at times. Don't be put off by that. Like all operating manuals, not all of it fits every person's situation. What you will find is a well-written set of directions, some of which you will want to apply in your life. I think you will find it is filled with very useful insights into the humans that surround you, and, perhaps, even into yourself. My advice? Buy it and read it. You can ignore anything that offends you.

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A very small book--literally the size of a credit card, and only half an inch thick--of three-hundred maxims, covering practically all of the wisdom one needs to go through life. Each maxim covering less than a tiny page, often only half. (The size of THIS PARTICULAR EDITION is NOT meant to make one feel cheated of what one paid for. It IS meant to be COMPACT, to carry in the pocket or bag, for frequent reference, in brief quiet moments. There are hardcover versions around.)
Originally written in Spanish in 1637 by a Jesuit scholar, it has been translated into eight European languages. This one translated by another scholar and literary critic named Joseph Jacobs, who also collected folklores (including English and Celtic fairy tales, as well as the fables of Aesop).
This particular translation is known to preserve Gracian's epigrammatic style, including his word plays and puns, albeit later updated where necessary due to being unclear and/or dated in grammar and syntax, and revised in comparison with other known English versions.
In contrast to Machiavelli, who put CRUDE REALITY into words, Gracian is more on the side of a little IDEALISM and NOBILITY in living one's life. Which is not to say he aims for ASPHYXIA; much is given to living a happy life, part of which is giving oneself a break and a breather.
[NEGATIVE] A few maxims are of limited use for its obviousness--in essence, "sometimes go left, sometimes go right". (Uhm, aren't those ALL of the very choices from which one must pick? And doesn't EVERYBODY ALREADY know that.) The wisdom of everything else in the book in nonetheless undiminished.
The brevity (not concise; some maxims are translated rather long-windedly) of the maxims does not mean that they are to be read as many in one stretch. After all, the benefits only start when wisdom is absorbed and lived out. Best to read through a dozen at most at a time; re-read and re-read, giving each time to sink into the heart and mind; only then move onto the next dozen or two.
Quite ENLIGHTENING. Worth keeping one copy of. Or perhaps two--a hardcover edition, too, in one's library, work desk, coffee table or reception room . . . for anyone who might walk in or anyone being made to wait, and who could use the time literally wisely.
.

This is a beautifully produced book, and on the whole the translation is at least satisfactory, and frequently elegant in its own right. But the oracle's original train of thought within each half-page aphorism (probably hard enough to follow in the original Spanish) often becomes totally unintelligable in translation.

Perhaps annotations would have helped, but without either the original Spanish or any notes to refer to one sometimes has to simply give up trying to understand the gist, and move on to the next aphorism.

Overall it's a rewarding read, and certainly a book to keep at hand and dip into again and again, but also somewhat frustrating. This is not the ultimate translation.

Self-help advice from 17th century Spain. Public reputation is everything. Inner substance is the cornerstone of your reputation, but surface impressions matter as well. Read more at bookmanreader.blogspot.com .

If you like The Prophet (Gibran) or The Prince (Macchiavelli), than this book is definitively for you. It is even better. It was written some 300 years ago, but it defies time. The wisdom contained is so reel, so human, that anybody who cares to improve himself must read. This little book is worth all the books of contemporary "gurus", Stephen Covey at al., combined.

Throughout the years, I've read various philosophers and grasped their differant ideologies. I haven't read too much of Gracian. After reading the Art of Wordly Wisdom as traslated by Maurer, I feel as though I've been deprived of this great Philosopher. I wish I had read more of Gracian's work earlier on. This book details various compilations of conduct and thinking. It truly is a gem. It is a Highly recommended book.

The beauty of this book is in how timeless, succinct and poetic the words of Gracian flow. If you are someone who wants to save face, control your image and seem all things to all people; then this is the book. If you want a book with bullet points and lists; this book is not for you. You will have to work at getting meaning from the verse.

A great book, full wisdom that has Nietzsche himself praise it and Shopenhauer. . .a book that has many of its contents used in Robert Greenes "48 laws of power". I found this book very interesting clever and helps you reflect on many situations, one of the important aspects about the book is that it is not imoral but clearly and beautifully genius.

Contrary to all those worshipers of "Wisdom", Gracian is not all that wise. Yes, a goodly number of nice sayings, most of which are more common sense that revered wisdom, but otherwise he really has little to say on the big questions of life. As a book I am reminded of the aisle of a grocery store. The canned goods of wisdom are stacked neatly on the shelves, ready for purchase. And then the buyer can take them home and store them in the larder for future use.

Unfortunately - I must say the English translation is poorly done. Although I figured that it might not match the quality of the German translation Schopenhauer's (please note that the only reason for Schopenhauer to learn Spanish was to translate this book), the craftmanship is still quite dissapointing. I believe that it could have been done a lot better.