The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle

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.

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"....

I received this book as a gift in 1992, I had no idea what I had been given..The Art Of Wordly Wisdom, is "THE" guide to Human Nature, a Handbook on Life, It is a brilliant how it describes human nature/behavior in all scopes of life's pursuits and how to handle any situation, not based on incident but based on human reaction and interaction to the incident...The writings are ageless, the book should be in everyone's library and read often..It is not a one read book, but one you can take out when dealing with whatever life may throw at you...I have used it and I have never found anything better on human nature and it always find a way of getting you out of the worst and even the best of situations. It is not religious, not new age teachings,not cult, it is common sense,you could say psychology by examples of life and people....Nietzche and Shopenhauer were fans of Gracian, but none ever reached his clarity and accessibility..THE translation by Christopher Maurer is the ONLY ONE worth reading, for he is as clear as Gracian...Don't bother with the rest...Baltasar Gracian is a man still ahead of his time...

This small gem of a book ranks with Montaigne's Essays in terms of density of practical reason and reflection culled from a lifetime of what must have been pretty intense experiences. Gracian does not moralize -- he is one of those charcters in history who taught Nietzsche the idea of morals beyond good and evil. Gracian does not hand you formulas for success or self-improvement, as such. He merely shows you the psychology of human beings when placed in various situations, and ways to avoid stepping on doo-doo. In that sense, this book is sort of the European version of Sun-Tze's The Art of War but seemingly easier to approach if only by reason of proximity of cultural sensibilty. Message? "A well-lived life in the world of men is to be had in avoiding getting damaged and damaging others over petty things WHILE maximizing your leverage toward realizing your ambitions. Don't let vanity and ego cloud your judgement." The great book that it is, it has something to say to everyone in every station in life.

When I started to read this book I did not want to put it down. But this book is not meant to be read in one sitting, allowing the reader time to reflect on the art of life. Gracian's use of words in these aphorisms hit the mark; though he may seem cynical, at this day and age one can easily embrace his views about everyday dealings with mankind, not always easy, requiring a delicate balance of patience that is needed most when the supply seems to have run out. He reminds us of how human we all are. It is hard to pick out a favorite, so here is a sample: "A man who can wait, for it marks a great heart endowed with patience; never to be in undue haste or excited. Be first the master of yourself, and you will thereafter be the master of others; one must journey far through time to get to the core of anything. A prudent waiting brings season to accomplishment and ripeness to what is hidden... God himself does not tame with a whip, but with time..." A must for anyone interested or studying philosophy, principles of living.