Latest / Logic Library / 28 - Devine & Human Means - The Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian
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- Use human means as if there were no divine ones, and divine as if there were no human ones. A masterly rule. It needs no comment two hundred fifty two. Neither belong entirely to yourself nor entirely to others. Both are mean forms of tyranny. To desire to be all for oneself is the same as desiring to have all for oneself. Such persons will not yield a jot or lose a tittle of their comfort. They are rarely beholden, lean on their own luck, and their crutch generally breaks. It is convenient at times to belong to others that others may belong to us. And he that holds public office is no more nor less than a public slave. Or let a man give up both birth and burthen, as the old woman said to Hadrian. On the other hand, and others are all for others, which is folly that always flies to extremes, in this case, in a most unfortunate manner. No day, no hour is their own, but they have so much, too much of others, that they may be called the slaves of all. This applies even to knowledge, where a man may know everything for others and nothing for himself. A shrewd man knows that others, when they seek him, do not seek him but their advantage in him and by him two hundred and fifty three. Do not explain over much. Most men do not esteem what they understand, and venerate what they do not see to be valued. Things should cost dear. What is not understood becomes overrated. You have to appear wiser and more prudent than he requires with whom you deal, if you desire to give him a high opinion of you. Yet in this there should be moderation and no excess. And though with sensible people common sense holds its own, with most men, a little elaboration is necessary. Give them no time for blame. Occupy them with understanding your drift. Many praise a thing without being able to tell why if asked. The reason is that they venerate the unknown as a mystery, and praise it because they hear it praised two hundred and fifty four. Never despise an evil, however small, for they never come alone. They are linked together, like pieces of good fortune. Fortune and misfortune generally go to find their fellows. Hence, all avoid the unlucky and associate with the fortunate. Even the doves, with all their innocence, resort to the whitest walls. Everything fails with the unfortunate himself. His words and his luck do not wake misfortune when she sleeps. One slip is a little thing, yet some fatal loss may follow it till you do not know where it will end. For just as no happiness is perfect, so no ill luck is complete. Patience serves with what comes from above, prudence with that from below. Two hundred fifty five. Do good a little at a time, but often one should never give beyond the possibility of return. Who gives much does not give but sells, nor drain gratitude to the dregs. For when the recipient sees all return is impossible, he breaks off correspondence. With many persons, it is not necessary to do more than overburden them with favors to lose them altogether. They cannot repay you, and so they retire, preferring rather to be enemies than perpetual debtors. The idol never wishes to see before him the sculptor who shaped him, nor does the benefited wish to see his benefactor always before his eyes. There is a great subtlety in giving what costs little, yet is much desired, so that it is esteemed the more two hundred fifty six. Go armed against discourtesy, and against perfidy, presumption, and all other kinds of folly. There is much of it in the world, and prudence lies in avoiding a meeting with it. Arm yourself each day before the mirror of attention with the weapons of defense. Thus you will beat down the attacks of folly. Be prepared for the occasion, and do not expose your reputation to vulgar contingencies. Armed with prudence, a man cannot be disarmed by impertinence. The road of human intercourse is difficult, for it is full of ruts which may jolt our credit. Best to take a by way, taking ulysses as a model of shrewdness. Feigned misunderstanding is of great value in such matters. Aided by politeness, it helps us over all and is often the only way out of difficulties two hundred and fifty seven. Never let matters come to a rupture, for our reputation always comes injured out of the encounter. Every one may be of importance as an enemy, if not as a friend. Few can do us good, Almost any can do us harm. In Jove's bosom itself, even his eagle never nestles securely from the day he has quarreled with a beetle. Hidden foes use the paw of the declared enemy to stir up the fire, and meanwhile they lie in ambush. For such an occasion, friends provoked become the bitterest of enemies. They cover their own failings with the faults of others. Every One speaks as things seem to him, and things seem as he wishes them to appear. All blame us at the beginning for want of foresight, at the end, for lack of patience, at all times for imprudence. If, however, a breach is inevitable, let it rather be excused as a slackening of friendship than by an outburst of wrath. Here is a good application of the saying about a good retreat two hundred fifty eight. Find out some one to share your troubles. You will never be all alone, even in dangers, nor bear all the burden of hate. Some think, by their high position, to carry off the whole glory of success, and have to bear the whole humiliation of defeat. In this way, they have none to excuse them, none to share the blame. Neither fate nor the mob are so bold against two. Hence the wise physician, if he has failed to cure, looks out for someone who, under the name of a consultation, may help him carry out the corpse. Share weight and woe, for misfortune falls with double force on him that stands alone two hundred and fifty nine. Anticipate injuries and turn them into favors. It is wiser to avoid than to revenge them. It is an uncommon piece of shrewdness to change a rival into a confidant, or transform into guards of honor those who were aiming attacks at us. It helps much to know how to oblige, for he leaves no time for injuries. That fills it up with gratitude. That is true savoir faire. To turn anxieties into pleasures. Try and make a confidential relation out of ill will itself two hundred and six sixty. We belong to none and none to us entirely. Neither relationship, nor friendship, nor the most intimate connection is sufficient to effect this. To give one's whole confidence is quite different from giving one's regard. The closest intimacy has its exceptions, without which the laws of friendship would be broken. The friend always keeps one secret to himself, and even the son always hides something from his father. Some things are kept from one that are revealed to another, and vice versa. In this way, one reveals all and conceals all by making a distinction among the persons with whom we are connected. End of Section twenty eight.