Wisdom Book: The Eternal Classic of Social Conduct (Bilingual Picture Collection Edition)

Author: (Spanish) Baltasar Gracián
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Personality and intelligence are the two poles of worldly wisdom; lacking one of them leads to half-heartedness. Intelligence alone is insufficient, and personality is equally indispensable. On the other hand, the foolish person is precisely one who fails in acquiring status, profession, neighbors, and the circle of friends they choose. Many European scholars believe that throughout the millennia, the eternal value of worldly wisdom in the history of human thought is contained in three great books: one is Machiavelli's The Prince, the second is The Art of War, and the third is this The Art of Wisdom. The great German philosopher Schopenhauer deliberately translated The Art of Wisdom into German and highly praised the book as "absolutely unique." Nietzsche also praised the book for its subtle and intricate exploration of the mysteries of morality, stating that no other book in Europe was more refined or more varied in its arguments. In a note from 1873, Nietzsche wrote: "Gracián's life experience demonstrates wisdom and insight unmatched by anyone today."