Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #235: "Know how to ask. With some nothing is easier: with others nothing is so difficult. Some men do not know how to refuse: with them no skill in asking is required.

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism 197: Do not saddle yourself with fools. "He is one who does not know them, and a greater, he who knowing them, does not shake them off, for they are dangerous in the daily

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #149: Learn How to Shift the Blame to Others. "To have a shield against ill-will is a great piece of skill in a ruler. It is not the resort of incapacity, as ill-wishers

I continue with Gracian's aphorisms as part of personal journey. But, as prelude... One of my favorite first sentences from a novel is Charles Dickens' David Copperfield: "CHAPTER 1. I AM BORN. Whether

As part of a personal journey, I am returning to a book that has sustained me for decades -- Baltasar Gracian's "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" which consists of 300 aphorisms. I present them here

Baltasar Gracian's Aphorism #161: Know your pet Faults. "The most perfect of men has them, and is either wedded to them or has illicit relations with them. They are often faults of intellect, and

One of the most influential books in my life has been The Art of Worldly Wisdom by the 17th century Spanish Jesuit Baltasar Gracian, which I must have read at least a dozen times. The book offers both

I've been struggling with how to introduce myself to such a dynamic community because I only have one chance at a first 'hello'. My name is Wendy McElroy and I've written/published many books, articles,