A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.

Better mad with the rest of the world than wise alone.

Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.

They are both foolish and cruel who yoke together the wild beast and the tame.

The liar suffers twice: he neither believes nor is believed.

Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets.

Some marry the first information they receive, and turn what comes later into their concubine. Since deceit is always first to arrive, there is no room left for truth.

Maturity of mind is best shown in slow belief.

If you cannot make knowledge your servant, make it your friend.

Readiness is the mother of luck.

Look into the interior of things. Things are generally other than they seem, and ignorance that never looks beneath the rind is disillusioned when you show the kernel.

All victories breed hate, and that over your superior is foolish or fatal.

Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.

Never from obstinacy take the wrong side because your opponent has anticipated you by taking the right one. You begin the fight already beaten and must soon take to flight in disgrace.

In conversation discretion is more important than eloquence.

It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.

Some would be sages if they did not believe they were so already.

He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well.

Reputation depends more on what is hidden than on what is seen. If you can’t be good, be careful.

Never disclose the source of pain or joy, if you wish the one to cease and the other to endure.

When you counsel someone, you should appear to be reminding him of something he had forgotten, not of the light he was unable to see.

Life is a warfare against the malice of others.

Lies always come first, dragging fools along by their irreparable vulgarity. Truth always lags last, limping along on the arm of time.

Things do not pass for what they are, but for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets.

Deceit comes in through the ears, but usually leaves through the eyes.

There are rules to luck, not everything is chance for the wise; luck can be helped by skill.

Cultivate tact for it is the mark of culture ... the lubricant of human relations, softening contacts and minimizing friction.

BALTASAR GRACIAN, attributed, The Speaker's Quote Book

Parcel out your life wisely, not confusedly in the rush of events, but with foresight and judgment.

BALTASAR GRACIAN, Oraculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia

The eminent person who takes no notice of his own perfection is twice eminent.

BALTASAR GRACIAN, Oraculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia

Quit while you're ahead. All the best gamblers do.

BALTASAR GRACIAN, The Art of Worldly Wisdom

Never compete with someone who has nothing to lose.