32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to avoid all those dumb mistakes., June 18, 2001
THE ART OF WORLDLY WISDOM. Adapted from the translation by JOSEPH JACOBS. Unabridged. Shambhala Pocket Classics. 283 pp. Boston & London : Shambhala, 1993. ISBN 0-87773-921-8 (pbk.)
Balthasar Gracian's 'The Art of Worldly Wisdom' is a collection of 300 brief maxims, most of which take up only a single page or less of this small book. His maxims teach us the art of getting along in the world.
Gracian must have been a singularly wise person. Those who are lucky enough to discover his book before making all the major mistakes of their lives should count themselves very lucky, because what the author sets out to do is to teach us, in a very clear and easy-to-understand way, how to avoid all those dumb mistakes.
You can open this book at any page and, if you are young, find out what you most definitely shouldn't (or should) be doing. And if you are old you will probably find yourself reading about all the things in your life that you shouldn't (or should) have done, and that you wouldn't (or would) have done if there had been someone as wise as Gracian around to advise you - and _if_ you had followed their advice.
Here, chosen at random, are a few of his maxims : 83. Allow yourself some forgiveable sin. 141. Do not listen to yourself. 250. When to turn the conversation around. 252. Neither belong entirely to yourself nor entirely to others. 3. Keep matters for a time in suspense. 36. Before acting or refraining, weigh your luck. 69. Do not give way to every common impulse. 195. Put up with fools. 262. Be able to forget.
Each of these maxims is fully developed and explained in the text which follows the maxim, and you are going to be amazed that anyone could have figured out so much. A handy complete list of the maxims is given on pages 261-81.
Physically, the Shambhala Pocket Classic Edition of 'The Art of Worldly Wisdom' is an attractive book, and at just 7.5 cm by 11.5 cm is small enough to fit into the smallest purse or pocket. It is well-printed, in two colors, on excellent paper, is sturdily bound in stiff decorative wraps, and is even stitched.
So if you think it's time you got your act straightened out, let Gracian show you how. You'd be hard put to find better counsel than his.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A guide to living on the razor's edge of honor, May 11, 2002
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"....
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Size does not matter, July 3, 2001
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.
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