"Use human means as though divine ones did not exist, and use divine means as though there were no human ones."
These profound words, published 300 years ago in a "timeless wisdom book," were drawn from "The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle," by Baltasar Gracian, a Jesuit scholar. Until recently, when Gracian's works were translated from Spanish to English by Christopher Mauer and published by Doubleday, Gracian's astonishing classic has been largely unavailable to modern readers.Says Mauer: "The `Oracle' has been spoken in many tongues, has been heard with admiration and greeted with praise. It was imitated by La Rochefoucauld.. . ., valued by writers as diverse as Joseph Addison and Fredrich Nietzshe and lovingly translated into German by Arthur Schopen-hau-ser," who believed the "Oracle" was "absolutely unique."
Despite Gracian's enduring acclaim, as a moralist, his writings were viewed with animosity by his superiors and he was repeatedly warned not to publish his works without permission. "Not that his writings were regarded as heretical," explains Mauer. Rather, "It was somewhat unseemly for a Jesuit priest to write so brilliantly on worldly wisdom and on political behavior.. . . What rankled his superiors was his persistent disobedience, and perhaps his nonchalance."
Gracian was ultimately exiled to a country town, where he later died. And, "Were his fellow Jesuits right?," asks Mauer. His answer: "Gracian may have shown poor judgment in publishing almost all of his works without authorization. But Time acquitted him. His works emerged unscathed, he won immortality, and no one remembers his accusers."
What follows are a sample of the 300 maxims in Gracian's "Oracle." Each of these elegantly crafted, and surprisingly modern, maxims offers valuable insight on the art of living and the practice of achieving:
- 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. The crutch of Time can do more than the steely club of Hercules.
- Don't berate others. There are people with savage tempers who make everything a crime, not out of passion but because of their very character.
They condemn everyone, some for what they've done, others for what they will do.. . . They criticize others so exaggerately that they make motes into beams in order to poke out eyes.. . . Good-natured people are able to pardon anything. They insist that others had good intentions or went wrong inadvertently.
- Don't make much ado about nothing. Some take nothing into account, and others want to account for everything. They are always talking importance, always taking things too seriously, turning them into debate and mystery. Few bothersome things are important enough to bother with. It is folly to take to heart what you should turn your back on. Many things that were something are nothing if left alone, and others that were nothing turn into much because we pay attention to them. In the beginning it is easy to put an end to problems, but not later. Sometimes the cure causes the disease. Not the least of life's rules is to leave well enough alone.
- Be known for your courtesy: It alone can make you worthy of praise. Courtesy is the best part of culture, a kind of enchantment, and it wins the goodwill of all, just as rudeness wins only scorn and universal annoyance.. . . Better too much courtesy than too little.. . . Politeness and a sense of honor have this advantage: We bestow them on others without losing a thing.
- Keep changing your style of doing things. Vary your methods. This will confuse people, especially your rivals, and awaken their curiosity and attention. If you always act on your first intention, others will foresee it and thwart it. It is easy to kill the bird that flies in a straight line but not one that changes its line of flight.
- Be known for pleasing others, especially if you govern them. It helps sovereigns to win the good graces of all. Ruling others has one advantage: You can do more good than anyone else.
- Know how to say "no." You can't grant everything to everybody. Saying "no" is as important as granting things.. . . What matters is the way you do it. Some people's "no" is prized more highly than the "yes" of others: A gilded "no" pleases more than a curt "yes." "No" and "yes" are short words requiring long thought.
- Don't live in a hurry. If you know how to organize things, you will know how to enjoy them. Many have life left over when luck runs out. They waste their happy moments and farther down the road would like to turn around and return to them. Time moves too slowly for them.. . . and they want to devour in a day what they could hardly digest in a lifetime.. . . Deeds are good, and content is bad, when they are over.
- End well. Be careful of the way you end things, and devote more attention 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. She is as courteous to those who are coming as she is rude to those who are going.