One must be either hammer or anvil in this world, and too great an excess of idealism only means that the unideal people shall rule the world. To guard against both extremes we have the paradoxical advice I have heard attributed to Mr. Ruskin:

"Fit yourself for the best society, and then never enter it."

I'm more picking through this book than actively reading. That isn't to say it isn't good or interesting, just that the broad variety of observations unordered and unthemed make it hard to consume as a regular book. Gracian is very acute and piercing in his observations, though.

There's lots of great advice in here, some of it surprisingly cynical to be coming from a 17th century Jesuit.

300 rules on how to handle other people. Surprisingly modern, because a-moral, unchristian, and cynical. Ment for an audience of courtiers, senior officers and politicians. Gracian is also called the Machiavelli of human relations. In general he preaches a strong defensive attitude: caution takes precedence over everything. (2.5 stars)

A Jesuit philosopher from 17th century Spain whose life lessons I will read and re-read as long as I am alive. His aphorisms are said to have influenced Nietzsche, Churchill, and Schopenhauer, and I can see why.

I read The Pocket Oracle in Korean translation, which was much better then this English translation. I give 6 stars to Gracian's words, 4 stars to this particular edition of the book.

Two kinds to pay attention to
- Metaphysics
- Appearance
And how to manage both, in order to become a prudent human being.

- All the wisdom in the world originates from restraint.
- A prudent person will hide merits that a typical person would flaunt.
- Seal your tendencies
- One's composure reveals the shape of one's soul
- No trick is more ingenious than the pretense of absolute ignorance.

I see these five jotted down on my note. The translation is mine, from Korean to English.

Spoiler

Keep Matters for a Time in Suspense.
Admiration at their novelty heightens the value
of your achievements. Mix a little mystery with everything,
and the very mystery arouses veneration. And
when you explain, be not too explicit, just as you
do not expose your inmost thoughts in ordinary
intercourse. Cautious silence is the holy of holies
of worldly wisdom. Besides you imitate the Divine way
when you cause men to wonder and watch.

Create a Feeling of Dependence.
The wise man would rather see men needing him than
thanking him. To keep them on the threshold of
hope is diplomatic, to trust to their gratitude
boorish; hope has a good memory, gratitude a bad
one.

To be without Passions.'Tis a privilege of the
highest order of mind. Their very eminence
redeems them from being affected by transient
and low impulses. There is no higher rule than
that over oneself, over one's impulses: there is the
triumph of free will.

The Art of being Lucky. There are rules of
luck: it is not all chance with the wise: it can be
assisted by care. Some content themselves with
placing them-selves confidently at the gate of
Fortune, waiting till she opens it. Others do
better, and press forward and profit by their
clever boldness, reaching the goddess and
winning her favour on the wings of their virtue
and valour. But on a true philosophy there is no
other umpire than virtue and insight; for there is
no luck or ill-luck except wisdom and the reverse.

Keep the Imagination under Control;
For it makes us either contented or
discontented with ourselves. Before some it
continually holds up the penalties of action, and
becomes the mortifying lash of these fools. To
others it promises happiness and adventure with
blissful delusion. It can do all this unless the most
prudent self-control keeps it in subjection.

For here a knowledge of the
evil is in itself a means of defence, and a shot
foreseen always misses its mark.

Never Exaggerate.
A prudent man goes more
cautiously to work, and prefers to err by omission
than by commission.

Think with the Few and speak with the
Many. By swimming against the stream it is
impossible to remove error, easy to fall into
danger; only a Socrates can undertake it. To
dissent from others' views is regarded as an
insult, because it is their condemnation. Disgust
is doubled on account of the thing blamed and of
the person who praised it. Truth is for the few,
error is both common and vulgar. The wise man is
not known by what he says on the house-tops, for
there he speaks not with his own voice but with
that of common folly, however much his inmost
thoughts may gainsay it. The prudent avoid being
contradicted as much as contradicting: though
they have their censure ready they are not ready
to publish it. Thought is free, force cannot and
should not be used to it. The wise man therefore
retires into silence, and if he allows himself to
come out of it, he does so in the shade and before
few and fit persons.

Diligent and Intelligent. Diligence promptly
executes what intelligence slowly excogitates.
Hurry is the failing of fools; they know not the
crucial point and set to work without
preparation. On the other hand, the wise more
often fail from procrastination; foresight begets
deliberation, and remiss action often nullifies
prompt judgment. Celerity is the mother of good
fortune.

Finish off well. In the house of Fortune, if you
enter by the gate of pleasure you must leave by
that of sorrow and vice versa. You ought
therefore to think of the finish, and attach more
importance to a graceful exit than to applause on
entrance. 'Tis the common lot of the unlucky to
have a very fortunate outset and a very tragic
end. The important point is not the vulgar
applause on entrance--that comes to nearly all--
but the general feeling at exit. Few in life are felt
to deserve an encore. Fortune rarely accompanies
any one to the door: warmly as she may welcome
the coming, she speeds but coldly the parting
guest.

Utilise Slips. That is how smart people get out
of difficulties. They extricate themselves from the
most intricate labyrinth by some witty
application of a bright remark. They get out of a
serious contention by an airy nothing or by
raising a smile. Most of the great leaders are well
grounded in this art. When you have to refuse, it
is often the polite way to talk of something else.
Sometimes it proves the highest understanding
not to understand.

Do not play Manille. It is a fault of excellence
that being so much in use it is liable to abuse.
Because all covet it, all are vexed by it. It is a
great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely
less to be of use to everybody. People who reach
this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those
who desired them before. The remedy against this extreme is to
moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in
your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in
your display of it. The more light a torch gives,
the more it burns away and the nearer 'tis to
going out. Show yourself less and you will be
rewarded by being esteemed more.

Keep the extent of your Abilities unknown.
The wise man does not allow his knowledge and
abilities to be sounded to the bottom, if he
desires to be honoured by all. He allows you to
know them but not to comprehend them. No
one must know the extent of his abilities, lest he
be disappointed. No one ever has an opportunity
of fathoming him entirely. For guesses and doubts
about the extent of his talents arouse more
veneration than accurate knowledge of them, be
they ever so great.

One half of the World laughs at the other,
and Fools are they all. Everything is good or
everything is bad according to the votes they
gain. What one pursues another persecutes. He is
an in-sufferable ass that would regulate
everything according to his ideas. Excellences do
not depend on a single man's pleasure. So many
men, so many tastes, all different. There is no
defect which is not affected by some, nor need
we lose heart if things please not some, for others
will appreciate them. You should aim to be independent of any
one vote, of any one fashion, of any one century.

Do not parade your Position. The more you seek esteem
the less you obtain it, for it depends on the
opinion of others. You cannot take it, but must
earn and receive it from others. Great positions
require an amount of authority sufficient to make
them efficient: without it they cannot be
adequately filled. Do not enforce respect, but try and create it. Those
who insist on the dignity of their office, show
they have not deserved it, and that it is too much
for them. If you wish to be valued, be valued for
your talents, not for anything adventitious. Even
kings prefer to be honoured for their personal
qualifications rather than for their station.

Peaceful Life, a long Life. To live, let live.
Peacemakers not only live: they rule life. Hear,
see, and be silent. A day without dispute brings
sleep without dreams. Long life and a pleasant
one is life enough for two: that is the fruit of
peace. He has all that makes nothing of what is
nothing to him. There is no greater perversity
than to take everything to heart. There is equal
folly in troubling our heart about what does not
concern us and in not taking to heart what does.