From “The Art of Wordly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracian. This is an amazing book. This quote is the third section of the book. It is a deep piece about not revealing everything at once.
“Admiration at their novelty heightens the value of your achievements. It is both useless and insipid to play with your cards on the table. If you do not declare yourself immediately, you arouse expectation, especially when the importance of your position makes you the object of general attention. Mix a little with everything, and the very mystery arouses veneration. And when you explain, do not be too explicit, just as you do not expose your inmost thoughts in ordinary conversation. Cautious silence is the sacred sanctuary of worldly wisdom. A resolution declared is never highly thought of - it only leaves room for criticism. And if it happens to fail, you are doubly unfortunate. Besides, you imitate the divine way when you inspire people to wonder and watch.”
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January 24th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
That is a bit deep. Nice piece though. This goes along with many other aspects of griding.