# Baltasar Gracián's best quotes

Aphorisms by the Aragonese Jesuit, mostly from The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647) and El Criticón: prudence, wit and plenty of irony.

- 11 votes · 10 items
- Sep 16, 2019 · Pablo Morales Herrero
- https://even.best/en/l/2103/baltasar-gracian-s-best-quotes

## Top 10

1. **Good things, when short, are twice as good.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 105.
2. **All who seem fools are fools, and so are half of those who don't.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 201.
3. **Man is born a barbarian, and rises above the beast by cultivating himself.** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 87.
4. **Think with the few and speak with the many.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 43.
5. **A fine retreat is as glorious as a gallant attack.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 38.
6. **Take more care not to miss once than to hit a hundred times.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom.
7. **Each person shows what they are by the friends they keep.** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom.
8. **To live, let live.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 192.
9. **All mortals go in search of happiness, a sign that none of them has it.** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — El Criticón.
10. **For the forewarned there are no accidents.** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — The Art of Worldly Wisdom.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
