How to Use Your Enemies Read online

  Baltasar Gracián

  HOW TO USE YOUR ENEMIES

  Translated by Jeremy Robbins

  Contents

  How to Use Your Enemies

  Follow Penguin

  BALTASAR GRACIÁN

  Born 1601, Aragon, Spain

  Died 1658, Aragon, Spain

  Selection taken from The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence, first published in 1647.

  GRACIÁN IN PENGUIN CLASSICS

  The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence

  In your affairs, create suspense. Admiration at their novelty means respect for your success. It’s neither useful nor pleasurable to show all your cards. Not immediately revealing everything fuels anticipation, especially when a person’s elevated position means expectations are greater. It bespeaks mystery in everything and, with this very secrecy, arouses awe. Even when explaining yourself, you should avoid complete frankness, just as you shouldn’t open yourself up to everyone in all your dealings. Cautious silence is the refuge of good sense. A decision openly declared is never respected; instead, it opens the way to criticism, and if things turn out badly, you’ll be unhappy twice over. Imitate divinity’s way of doing things to keep people attentive and alert.

  Knowledge and courage contribute in turn to greatness. Since they are immortal, they immortalize. You are as much as you know, and a wise person can do anything. A person without knowledge is a world in darkness. Judgement and strength, eyes and hands; without courage, wisdom is sterile.

  Make people depend on you. An image is made sacred not by its creator but by its worshipper. The shrewd would rather people needed them than thanked them. To put your trust in vulgar gratitude is to devalue courteous hope, for whilst hope remembers, gratitude forgets. More can be gained from dependence than from courtesy; once thirst is quenched, people turn their backs on the fountain, and an orange once squeezed is tossed in the mud. When dependence ends, so does harmony, and with it esteem. Let experience’s first lesson be to maintain and never satisfy dependence, keeping even royalty always in need of you. But you shouldn’t go to the extreme of being so silent as to cause error, or make someone else’s problems incurable for your own benefit.

  The height of perfection. No one is born complete; perfect yourself and your activities day by day until you become a truly consummate being, your talents and your qualities all perfected. This will be evident in the excellence of your taste, the refinement of your intellect, the maturity of your judgement, the purity of your will. Some never manage to be complete; something is always missing. Others take a long time. The consummate man, wise in word and sensible in deed, is admitted into, and even sought out for, the singular company of the discreet.

  Avoid outdoing your superior. All triumphs are despised, and triumphing over your superior is either stupid or fatal. Superiority has always been detested, especially by our superiors. Caution can usually hide ordinary advantages, just as it conceals beauty with a touch of carelessness. There will always be someone ready to admit others have better luck or temperaments, but no one, and especially not a sovereign, that someone has greater ingenuity. For this is the sovereign attribute and any crime against it is lese-majesty. Sovereigns, then, desire sovereignty over what matters most. Princes like to be helped, but not surpassed. Advice should be offered as if a reminder of what they’ve forgotten, not an insight that they’ve never had. The stars teach us such subtlety, for though they are children of the sun and shine brilliantly, they never compete with it in all its radiance.

  Belie your national defects. Water acquires the good and bad qualities of the channels it passes through, people those of the country where they’re born. Some owe more than others to their birthplace, for the heavens were more propitious to them there. No country, even the most civilized, is free from some national failing which neighbouring countries will always criticize, either for advantage or solace. It’s a skilful triumph to correct, or at least to conceal, these national faults; you’ll gain credit as unique among your countrymen, for what’s least expected has always been more esteemed. There are also defects of lineage, status, occupation and age which, if they all appear in one person and are not carefully forestalled, will produce an unbearable monster.

  Deal with people from whom you can learn. Let friendly interchange be a school of erudition, and conversation, civilized instruction. Make friends your teachers, joining learning’s usefulness and conversation’s pleasure. The intelligent combine two pleasures, enjoying the applause that greets what they say and the instruction received from what they hear. Usually, we are drawn to someone through our own interest, but here, that interest is ennobled. The circumspect frequent the company of eminent individuals whose houses are theatres of greatness rather than palaces of vanity. There are those renowned for their discretion whose example and behaviour are oracles in all matters of greatness and whose entourages are also courtly academies of good and gallant discretion.

  Nature and art, material and craft. Beauty always needs a helping hand, and perfection is rough without the polish of artifice. It helps what is bad and perfects what is good. Nature usually lets us down when we need it most; let us then turn to art. Without it, our nature even at its best lacks refinement, and when culture is lacking, perfection remains incomplete. Everyone seems coarse without artifice, and everyone needs its polish in all areas to be perfect.

  Reality and manner. Substance is insufficient, circumstance is also vital. A bad manner ruins everything, even justice and reason. A good manner makes up for everything: it gilds a ‘no’, sweetens truth, and beautifies old age itself. How something is done plays a key role in all affairs, and a good manner is a winning trick. Graceful conduct is the chief ornament of life; it gets you out of any tight situation.

  Have intelligent support. The good fortune of the powerful: to be accompanied by outstanding minds that can save them from tight spots caused by their own ignorance and fight difficult battles for them. It shows exceptional greatness to make use of wise people, far better than the barbarous preference of Tigranes who wanted conquered kings as his servants. A new type of mastery over what’s best in life: skilfully make those whom nature made superior your servants. There’s much to know and life is short, and a life without knowledge is not a life. It’s a singular skill effortlessly to learn much from many, gaining knowledge from all. Then you can speak in a meeting for many or, through your words, as many wise people as advised you will speak. You’ll gain a reputation as an oracle through the sweat of others. Your learned helpers first select the subject, and then distil their knowledge and present it to you. If you can’t have wisdom as your servant, at least be on intimate terms.

  Vary your procedure. Not always the same way, so as to confound those observing you, especially if they are rivals. Don’t always fulfil your declared intentions, for others will seize on your predictability, anticipating and frustrating your actions. It’s easy to kill a bird that flies straight, but not one that twists and turns. But don’t always do the opposite of what you say, for the trick will be understood the second time around. Malice is always lying in wait – great subtlety is needed to mislead it. Sharp players never move the piece their opponents are expecting, and especially not the one they want them to.

  A person born in the right century. Truly outstanding people depend on their times. Not all were born at the time they deserved, and many, though they were, didn’t manage to take advantage of it. Some were worthy of a better century, for every good doesn’t triumph at all times. Everything has its time; even what’s outstanding is subject to changing taste. But wisdom has the advantage of being eternal, and if this is not its century, many others will be.

  Find everyone’s weak spot. This is the art o
f moving people’s wills. It consists more in skill than determination – a knowledge of how to get inside each person. Everyone’s will has its own particular predilection, all different according to the variety of tastes. We all idolize something: for some, esteem; for others, self-interest; and for most, pleasure. The trick to influencing people lies in knowing what they idolize. Knowing each person’s driving impulse is like having the key to their will. You should go direct to what most motivates a person, normally something base rather than anything noble, for there are more self-indulgent people than self-controlled ones in the world. You should first divine someone’s character, then touch upon their fixation, and take control of their driving passion which, without fail, will defeat their free will.

  Know the fortunate, to befriend them, and the unfortunate, to shun them. Misfortune is normally the crime of fools – and nothing is more contagious. You should never open the door to the smallest ill, for others, both many and greater, will come in after it and ambush you. The greatest trick is to know which cards to throw away: the lowest card that wins the current game is worth more than the highest that won an earlier one. If in doubt, a good move is to attach yourself to the wise and the prudent, for sooner or later they’ll meet with good fortune.

  Know how to leave things to one side, for if knowing how to refuse is one of life’s great lessons, an even greater one is knowing how to say no to yourself, to important people, and in business. There are non-essential activities, moths of precious time, and it’s worse to take an interest in irrelevant things than do nothing at all. To be circumspect, it’s not enough to interfere; it’s more important to make sure others don’t interfere in your affairs. Don’t so belong to others that you don’t belong to yourself. Even friends should not be abused; you shouldn’t want more from them than they’re willing to concede. Any extreme is a vice, and especially in dealings with others. Sensible moderation is the best way to maintain goodwill and respect because ever-precious dignity won’t be worn away. Be free in spirit, passionate about all that’s fine, and never sin against your own good taste.

  Know your key quality, your outstanding gift. Cultivate it, and improve the rest. Everyone could have been pre-eminent in something, if they had been aware of their best quality. Identify your key attribute and redouble its use. In some this is their judgement, in others courage. Most people misuse their capabilities, and so achieve superiority in nothing. What passion rushes to flatter, time is slow to disillusion us about.

  Quit whilst fortune is smiling, as all good gamblers do. A graceful retreat is as important as a brave assault, safeguarding achievements once these are enough, and especially when they’re more than enough. Always be suspicious of unbroken good fortune; far safer is fortune that’s mixed, and for it to be bittersweet even whilst you are enjoying it. The more blessings there are rushing towards us, the greater the risk of them stumbling and bringing everything down. The intensity of fortune’s favour sometimes compensates for the brevity of its duration. It quickly grows tired of carrying someone on its shoulders.

  Be in people’s good graces. It’s a great thing to earn people’s admiration, but more so their affection. This is partly a matter of luck, but mostly of effort; it begins with the first and is pursued with the second. Outstanding talent is not enough, although people imagine that it’s easy to win affection once respect has been won. For benevolence, beneficence is required. Do endless good; good words, better deeds; love, in order to be loved. Courtesy is the greatest, most politic spell the great can cast. Reach for great deeds first, then for the pen; go from the sword to sheets of paper, for the favour of writers, which exists, is eternal.

  Think with the few and speak with the many. To want to go against the current is as impossible for the wise as it is easy for the reckless. Only a Socrates could undertake this. Dissent is taken as an insult since it condemns another’s judgement. Those offended multiply, either because of the point criticized or the person who’d endorsed it. Truth is for the few; deception is as common as it is vulgar. The wise cannot be identified by what they say in public, since they never speak there with their own voice but following common stupidity, however much their inner thoughts contradict this. The sensible flee being contradicted as much as contradicting: what they’re quick to censure, they’re slow to publicize. Thought is free; it cannot and should not be coerced. It retreats into the sanctuary of silence, and if it sometimes breaks this, it only does so among the select and the wise.

  Caution – use it, but don’t abuse it. Don’t affect it, far less reveal it: all art should be concealed, for it’s suspect, and especially the art of caution, which is odious. Deceit is widely used; suspicion should be everywhere but without revealing itself, for this would occasion distrust: it causes affront, provokes revenge, and arouses unimagined troubles. Reflective behaviour is of great advantage to our deeds: there is no greater proof of reason. An action’s absolute perfection is secured by the mastery with which it is executed.

  Never lose your composure. A prime aim of good sense: never lose your cool. This is proof of true character, of a perfect heart, because magnanimity is difficult to perturb. Passions are the humours of the mind and any imbalance in them unsettles good sense, and if this illness leads us to open our mouths, it will endanger our reputation. Be so in control of yourself that, whether things are going well or badly, nobody can accuse you of being perturbed and all can admire your superiority.

  Know how to adapt yourself. You don’t need to appear equally intelligent to all, nor should you employ more effort than is necessary. With knowledge and excellence, nothing should be squandered. A good falconer releases only as many birds as are needed for the chase. Don’t continually flaunt your qualities or there’ll be nothing left to admire. There must always be something novel with which to dazzle, for people who reveal something new each day keep interest alive and never allow the limits of their great abilities to be discovered.

  Leave a good impression. In the house of Fortune, if you enter through pleasure’s door, you’ll leave through sorrow’s, and vice versa. Pay attention to how things end, then, taking greater care to make a good exit than a widely applauded entrance. It’s common for lucky people to have very favourable beginnings and truly tragic ends. The aim is not to have your entrance applauded by the rabble, for everyone’s is greeted this way. What matters rather is the general feeling your exit arouses, for few are missed once gone. Good fortune rarely accompanies those on their way out; she is as polite to those who are arriving as she is rude to those who are leaving.

  Make sure of a successful outcome. Some focus more on going about things the right way than on achieving their goal. But the discredit that comes with failure outweighs any credit gained by such diligence. Whoever wins need offer no explanations. Most people don’t see the precise circumstances, only a good or bad outcome. Reputation is therefore never lost when goals are achieved. A successful conclusion makes everything golden, however mistaken the means. For it shows wisdom to go against received wisdom when there’s no other way to achieve a happy outcome.

  Know how to refuse. Not everything has to be granted, nor to everyone. This is as important as knowing how to grant something, and is a vital necessity for rulers. Your manner is important here: one person’s ‘no’ is valued more than another’s ‘yes’, because a gilded ‘no’ satisfies far more than a blunt ‘yes’. Many are always ready to say ‘no’, turning everything sour. ‘No’ is always their first reaction, and although they subsequently grant everything, they are not held in esteem because of the taste left by the initial refusal. Things shouldn’t be refused in one fell swoop; let disappointment sink in gradually. Nor should refusals be categoric, for dependants then give up all hope. Always let there be a few crumbs of hope to temper the bitterness of refusal. Let courtesy make up for the lack of favour, and fine words the lack of deeds. ‘Yes’ and ‘no’ are quick to say, and require much thought.

  Know how to be evasive. This is the escape route
of sensible people. With the charm of a witty phrase, they can normally extricate themselves from the most intricate labyrinth. They can avoid the most difficult confrontation with a smile: the courage of the greatest of the great captains was based on this. A polite tactic in refusing is to change the subject, and there’s no greater act of caution than to conceal that you have understood.

  Know how to be all things to all people. A discreet Proteus: with the learned, learned, and with the devout, devout. A great art to win everyone over, since similarity creates goodwill. Observe each person’s temperament and tune yours to it. Whether with a serious or a jovial person, go with the current, undergoing a transformation that is politic – and essential for those in positions of dependency. Such vital subtlety requires great ability. It is less difficult for the universal man with his wide-ranging intellect and taste.

  Take care when gathering information. We live mainly on information. We see very little for ourselves and live on others’ testimony. Hearing is truth’s last entry point, and a lie’s first. Truth is normally seen and rarely heard. It rarely reaches us unadulterated, especially when it comes from far off. It is always tinged with the emotions through which it has passed. Passion tints everything it touches, making it odious or pleasing. It always tries to make an impression, so consider carefully a person offering praise, and even more so someone uttering abuse. The greatest attention is needed here to discover their intention by knowing beforehand where they’re coming from. Let caution weigh up what’s missing and what’s false.