Baltasar Gracián Quotes

Everything has its time; even what's outstanding is subject to changing taste.

Trust the friends of today as though they will be the enemies of tomorrow.

Unos mueren porque sienten y otros viven porque no sienten. Y assí, unos son necios porque no mueren de sentimiento, y otros lo son porque mueren de él.

Know your unlucky days, for the exist. Nothing will work out right and, even though you change your game, your bad luck will remain.

clxxxiii Do not hold your Views too firmly. Every fool is fully convinced, and every one fully persuaded is a fool: the more erroneous his judgment the more firmly he holds it.

Half the world is laughing at the other half, and all are fools.

Even monarchs have need of authors, and fear their pens more than ugly women the painter's pencil.

Quanto que el no creer es indicio del mentir; porque el mentiroso tiene dos males, que ni cree ni es creído.

Oh life, you should never had begun, but since you did, you should never end

41 Never exaggerate. It isn’t wise to use superlatives. They offend the truth and cast doubt on your judgment. By exaggerating, you squander your praise and reveal a lack of knowledge and taste. Praise awakens curiosity, which begets desire, and later, when the goods seem overpriced, as often happens, expectation feels cheated and avenges itself by running down the praised and the praiser. 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. It can ruin your reputation for good taste, and — even worse — for wisdom.

You should therefore never reveal what causes you pain or pleasure, so that the former may quickly end and the latter long continue.

They make the greatest show of what they have done, who have done least.

La presteza es madre de la dicha.

Audacious persons hope to make themselves eternally famous by setting fire to one of the wonders of the world and of the ages. The art of reproving scandal is to take no notice of it, to combat it damages our own case; even if credited it causes discredit, and is a source of satisfaction to our opponent, for this shadow of a stain dulls the lustre of our fame even if it cannot altogether deaden it.

Things are done quickly enough if done well. If just quickly done they can be quickly undone.