This timeless collection of the aphorisms of Balthasar Gracian, the seventeenth century Spanish philosopher, continues to appeal to knowledgeable and reflective people the world over. Presented here in a precise and sensitive translation of Oraculo Manual y Artye de Prudencia, Gracian's wit and lore will delight and instruct the reader on the spectrum of human interactions. Three hundred distinct segments deal with all aspects of the individual's relationship to self, associates and society.