Arte de prudencia

Baltasar Gracián brings together in this work 300 aphorisms and ideas about human behavior present in his works, to which he adds no less valuable explanatory comments. The author, known for his conceptism prone to plays on words and meanings, tends to synthesize and "obscure", because he is convinced that in this way the reader will take better advantage of his message. This, which can make some texts difficult, gives them, at the same time, an unusual beauty and allows them to retain their validity and practical utility. To such an extent that since the 1990s this book has been a bestseller in many countries, where it is presented as an instruction manual and advisor "on how to lead a successful but responsible life in a society governed by the selfishness".