Baltasar Gracian

“Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.”

“Never have a companion that casts you in the shade.”

“The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.”

“I strive to be brief, and I become obscure.”

“Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.”

“The things we remember best are those better forgotten.”

“Those who insist on the dignity of their office show they have not deserved it.”

“At twenty a man is a peacock, at thirty a lion, at forty a camel, at fifty a serpent, at sixty a dog, at seventy an ape, at eighty a nothing at all.”

“To equal a predecessor, one must have twice they worth.”

“Don't show off every day, or you'll stop surprising people. There must always be some novelty left over. The person who displays a little more of it each day keeps up expectations, and no one ever discovers the limits of his talent.”

“Many have had their greatness made for them by their enemies.”

“There is none who cannot teach somebody something, and there is none so excellent but he is excelled.”

“There is always time to add a word, never to withdraw one.”

“Nature scarcely ever gives us the very best; for that we must have recourse to art.”

“Hope is a great falsifier. Let good judgment keep her in check.”

“Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.”

“To be at ease is better than to be at business. Nothing really belongs to us but time, which even he has who has nothing else.”

“A single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.”

“Little said is soon amended. There is always time to add a word, never to withdraw one.”

“Work is the price which is paid for reputation.”