"Watchfulness is the only guard against cunning. Be intent on his intentions. Many succeed in making others do their own affairs, and unless you possess the key to their motives you may at any moment be forced to take their chestnuts out of the fire to the damage of your own fingers."
"It is therefore an excellent device to acquire knowledge from everybody."
Source: The Nuremberg Interviews. Book by Leon Goldensohn, 2004.
About the author
Baltasar Gracian
Philosopher, Writer
Baltasar Gracian was a Spanish Jesuit and philosopher known for his influential work 'The Art of Worldly Wisdom,' which explores strategy and human behavior.
All quotes by Baltasar Gracian →Same author
More quotes by Baltasar Gracian
"Dreams will get you nowhere, a good kick in the pants will take you a long way."
"A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one."
"Do not commit yourself to anybody or anything, for that is to be a slave, a slave to every man Above all, keep yourself free of commitments and obligations - they are the device of another to get you into his power"
"It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards."
"He that can live alone resembles the brute beast in nothing, the sage in much, and God in everything."