Help others solve their problems; standing farther away, you can often see matters more clearly than they do. . . The greatest service you can render someone else is helping him or her help themselves.
Baltasar GracianRead
Don't lie, but don't tell the whole truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote advises caution in communication, suggesting that complete honesty may not always be appropriate.
Baltasar Gracian's quote emphasizes the importance of discretion and the potential consequences of absolute honesty. By suggesting not to lie but also not to reveal everything, it encourages individuals to navigate social interactions with a balance of integrity and wisdom, recognizing that certain truths can be delicate or harmful when fully exposed.
Themes
TruthHonestyWisdomDiscretionCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a negotiation, one might reflect on this quote to navigate the fine line between honesty and strategic communication.
More from Baltasar Gracian
All quotes βIt is a novel kind of supremacy, the best that life can offer, to have as servants by skill those who by nature are our masters.
Baltasar GracianRead
Advice is sometimes transmitted more successfully through a joke than grave teaching.
Baltasar GracianRead
It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.
Baltasar GracianRead
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.
Baltasar GracianRead
The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.
Baltasar GracianRead
Similar quotes
Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: put second things first & we lose both first and second things.
C. S. LewisRead
One thing I struggled with early in my career was the delicate balance between my performance and my identity. When things on the field went well, I was cheerful and felt important. When things went poorly, my countenance and self-concept plummeted, and I was not pleasant to be around.
Benjamin WatsonRead
The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.
Helena RubinsteinRead
When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping.
Maria CallasRead
The problem with forbearance is that it always looks like a good thing to do until it stops working.
Raghuram RajanRead