The Art Of Worldy Wisdom

I was recently introduced to a relatively obscure work entitled The Art Of Worldly Wisdom and as I read it I knew that I had stumbled upon gold.

Written hundreds of years ago it still to this day has a relevance that readily enables the reader to apply this wisdom in the 21st century.

Translated on a number of occasions it does not ask you to build your success on the bodies of other people, but rather eminence and influence are to be achieved through observation and personal refinement.

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, ‘Europe has never produced anything finer or more complicated in matters of moral subtlety.’ Arthur Schopenhauer translated it into German and thought it as ‘a companion for life’.

Here is just a taste of The Art Of Worldy Wisdom.

“Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.”

“A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”

“Never compete with someone who has nothing to lose.”

“The best skill at cards is knowing when to discard.”

“A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the other one.”

“Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.”

“Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.”

“It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.”

“Two kinds of people are good at foreseeing danger: those who have learned at their own expense, and the clever people who learn a great deal at the expense of others.”

“One should cultivate good habits of memory, for it is capable of making existence a Paradise or an Inferno.”

“Oh life, you should never had begun, but since you did, you should never end.”

“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 honored at 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.”

“The great art of giving consists in this the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it may be the more highly appreciated.”

“He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well.”

“Life is a warfare against the malice of others.”

“Dreams will get you nowhere, a good kick in the pants will take you a long way.”

“Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.”

“Folly consists not in committing Folly, but in being incapable of concealing it. All men make mistakes, but the wise conceal the blunders they have made, while fools make them public. Reputation depends more on what is hidden than on what is seen. If you can’t be good, be careful.”

“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island…to find one real friend in a lifetime is a good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.”

“When desire dies, fear is born.”

“Knowledge without courage is sterile.”

“The happy are an exception who enjoy innocently their simple happiness.”

“Every fool stands convinced; and everyone convinced is a fool. The faultier a person’s judgment the firmer their convictions.”