The Art of Worldly Wisdom

The Art of Worldly Wisdom (Oraculo manual y arte de prudencia), 1647, is a work belonging to the didactic prose of Baltasar Gracian. The book consists of three hundred aphorisms commented, and offers a set of norms and guidelines to obtain triumph in a complex society and in crisis. Not only for those interested in literature, the work, from its publication until today, is of interest to thinkers and philosophers. The admiration that Arthur Schopenhauer felt for the book led him to translate the text into German, and his version is the most widespread in the German language.Written by Baltasar Gracián, is still in effect today, as demonstrated in an English version, entitled The Art of Wordly Wisdom. It has sold more than 150,000 copies in the Anglo-Saxon context when it is presented as a self-help manual for executives. In 1992, it remained eighteen weeks (two in the first positions), in the list of the best sellers, according to the newspaper The Washington Post.It was thought that this work was a mere recompilation of sentences from his earlier books, but this was only true in the first hundred aphorisms. The fact of declaiming the maxims of his other works was a new procedure, for until then, the citations of the classics of antiquity were reserved to the authorities, or at least by authors of recognized prestige. Because the Oracle is an anthology of his maxims, it indicates that Gracian rises to himself, to the height of the literary authors of the time.The Art of Worldly Wisdom (Spanish: Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia) is a book written in 1647 by Baltasar Gracián y Morales, better known as Baltasar Gracian. It is a collection of 300 maxims, each with a commentary, on various topics giving advice and guidance on how to live fully, advance socially, and be a better person, that became popular throughout Europe. Part life-coach, part Machiavelli, part Yoda, Balthasar Gracian (1601-1658), a Jesuit priest, wrote this collection of pithy sayings four centuries ago. Gracian speaks to the twenty-first century as well as the seventeenth. It's only a matter of time before someone markets Gracian's life advice to busy executives, like Sun Tzu or the Book of Five Rings (if it hasn't been already)."Think with the few and speak with the many," "Friends are a second existence," and "Be able to forget" are among this volume's 300 thought-provoking maxims on politics, professional life, and personal development. Published in 1637, it was an instant success throughout Europe. The Jesuit author's timeless advice, focusing on honesty and kindness, remains ever popular. A perfect browsing book of mental and spiritual refreshment, it can be opened at random and appreciated either for a few moments or for an extended period.