Baltasar Gracian Quotes

It is profound philosophy to sound the depths of feeling and distinguish traits of character. Men must be studied as deeply as books.

I really do love psychology and philosophy but I'm no professional at these things. Because I love seeing the true side of humanity, as I've continued that, I have ultimately lent towards philosophy and psychology but it is not something in which I try to study.

With morality we correct the mistakes of our instincts, and with love we correct the mistakes of our morals.

The more I thought about human nature, the more I saw how our tragic inclination for sin/mistakes causes us to use our minds to rationalize our action.

It is a prejudice to think that morality is more favourable to the development of reason than immorality.

I have a deep fascination with human nature, with all its virtues and all its defects.

Only a man's character is the real criterion of worth

I believe that people generally want to be what we call good. They want to cooperate with people. They don't want to steal; they don't want to cheat. But everybody has a price. Everybody has an incentive.

Man can sin against nature in two ways. First, when he sins against his specific rational nature, acting contrary to reason. In this sense, we can say that every sin is a sin against man's nature, because it is against man's right reason.

There are people who think that honesty is always the best policy. This is a superstition. There are times when the appearance of it is worth six of it.

My only fear is doing something contrary to human nature - the wrong thing, the wrong way, or at the wrong time.

Moral philosophy is nothing else but the science of what is good, and evil, in the conversation, and society of mankind. Good, and evil, are names that signify our appetites, and aversions; which in different tempers, customs, and doctrines of men, are different.

An action is the perfection and publication of thought. A right action seems to fill the eye, and to be related to all nature.

Morality's not practical. Morality's a gesture. A complicated gesture learnt from books.

What better book can there be than the book of humanity.

When you know what a man wants you know who he is, and how to move him.

As to the permanent interest of individuals in the aggregated interests of the community, and in the proverbial maxim, that honesty is the best policy, present temptation is often found to be an overmatch for those considerations.

The reasons which any man offers to you for his own conduct betray his opinion of your character.

Morality, a muzzle for the will; logic, a climbing iron for the mind.

True success depends more on character than on intellect.

There can be no question of holding forth on ethics. I have seen people behave badly with great morality and I note every day that integrity has no need of rules

What is the real relation between happiness and goodness? It is only within a few generations that men have found courage to say that there is none.

So from then on, he looked at all his choices and said, What would a good person do, and then did it. But he has now learned something very important about human nature. If you spend your whole life pretending to be good, then you are indistinguishable from a good person. Relentless hypocrisy eventually becomes the truth.

I do this because I'm an observer of people. That's why I want to be an actor. I'm fascinated by human beings and the circumstances they find themselves in.

I'm not Mother Teresa. But I'm not Frank Bough, either. I am getting older and a bit more sensible. I'm not going to be popping up in dungeons every six months. If you catch me preaching fidelity while I am shagging chickens then throw the book at me. Otherwise, leave me alone.