The Art of Prudence (Translated)

The art of PrudenceThe Art of Prudence summarizes in three hundred sentences a good part of the practical wisdom that allows us to succeed in an increasingly competitive and hostile world. Its brevity and its very modern organization in independent fragments not only favor an almost permanent reading (if so desired), the one that results from frequenting the favorite passages or the one that seeks a quick answer for a question that does not admit more delays, but also converts to the book in the optimal reading for any time or place. The Art of prudence wants to cover, with only three hundred commented aphorisms, the instructions, norms and explanations of human behavior. It is a kind of universe on paper. The work aspires to provide a careful guide to the results of one's own actions and those of others. In an abbreviated way, in a very suggestive way, With the participation of the reader, the Art of Prudence teaches that there is no single path to prudence or success. His texts, read in the way the reader prefers (as they appear, in reverse order, at random, etc.), constitute an inexhaustible advisor, always the same and always different since the reader is the one who decides the path to be taken. This book that Baltasar Gracian (1601-1658) published more than three hundred years ago is fully valid, for its practical approach and for its attention to the concrete. It is not surprising that it has found an exceptional reception among contemporary readers, as evidenced by the success of its numerous editions in various countries. Read in the way the reader prefers (as they appear, in reverse order, randomly, etc.), they constitute an inexhaustible advisor, always the same and always different, since the reader is the one who decides the path to take. 300 rules to succeed in a complex society in crisisIn the form of aphorisms, Baltasar Gracian shaped one of the most important works of the Golden Age, which even today, four centuries later, is still valid in its ultimate objective of governing the good government of the people. the argumentation based on examples that had dominated in medieval rhetoric and hides its proposal with phrases based on the reality of the facts and the usefulness of the actions. A classic more than modern, Baltasar Gracian was a Jesuit, a Baroque thinker and writer, a tenth author and a master of the Conceptist style. His critical wit and moralistic zeal are present in all his work.