Many Catholic thinkers have extracted their wisdom of contemplative silence of the cloister. Others, throughout history, have sailed the intrigues of the royal courts, from the Council of Trent to the dynasties of the Bourbons and Habsburg, through the French Revolution.
Baltasar Gracián, a seventeenth -century Spanish Jesuit, did both. Living in the wake of the reform, he created one of the most unusual works of spiritual wisdom ever written: a collection of as acute as durable.
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Manual oracle and prudence artits composition of 300 maxims, distils the art of living wisely in a world governed by vanity, illusion and self -interest. Far from being a call to surrender, it offers a strategy for commitment, practical advice for those who are determined to remain in the world without being molded by their worst trends. Father Gracian saw human nature with a lucidity that was not only theological but also brutally realistic.
Although today is little known in Catholic circles, this little book has left a lasting mark in intellectual and strategic traditions. Admirers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer and Elon Musk, in addition to innumerable business leaders, reflect the surprising amplitude of their appeal.
Frequently described as the first modern self -help manual – or a Catholic response to The prince by Nicolás Machiavelli— Manual oracle and prudence artpublished in 1647, resists a simple classification. Written in the spiritual and political turbulence of post-reform Europe, it is both a mirror of its time and a timeless guide. In its nucleus lies a call to be innocent and insightful, prudent and straight, strategic and holy.
A Jesuit between Lobos
Jesuit educator, preacher and philosopher, Fr. Gracian believed that spiritual life could coexist fruitfully with public and mundane affairs. Its brief maxims serve as a survival guide for the member of the Court that moves in a world governed by Lobos, offering reflections on its moral and strategic compass, from conversation and reputation to leadership, time and discretion.
It could be joking that his work reflects a certain Jesuit talent for strategic ambiguity. The Jesuits, in fact, have long had the reputation of adapting their speech to their audience and dominating the art of persuasive subtlety. Such intellectual flexibility came from his missionary zeal and a cultivated discernment.
Some of Fr. Gracian’s maxims may sound certainly disenchanted, even cynical, in their tactical acuity. “More things has worked the morning than strength,” he writes in a maximum, even entering the veil of the interests of others to serve his own. Although he instructs his readers not to lie, he also recommends “not saying all truths.”
“You always have to wear your mouth full of sugar to sweeten words,” he writes, “who knows the same enemies well.” This mixture of charm and calculation permeates many of its aphorisms.
It also encourages “not perishing of the misfortune of others”, and recommends: “Know the one in the mud, and notice that he will claim to comfort the reciprocal badly.”
Fr. Gracian does not deny Christian charity. Rather, it reminds us that charity must be fair and oriented to good, not sentimental. He acknowledges that some people resist all attempts to grace, clinging to their own misery and dragging others with them.
This wisdom born of the experience reminds of the ecclesiastical book: “It does not receive goods that persists in evil and the one that does not appreciate alms.”
A Catholic Machiavelli?
For the casual reader, such statements can be easily misunderstood, until it is understood that they mostly resonate with the wisdom of the Gospel: “Move as extreme the sagacity for suspicion as the cunning for the tangle, and does not want to be so man of good, that it causes the other to be the being of evil. a literal echo of the instructions contained in Mateo 10,16.
Call Fr. Gracian the “Catholic Machiavelli” is more a simplistic cartoon than a fair comparison. But it is one that works, whenever we quickly clarify the difference.
Machiavelli, writing in Florence of the early 16th century, is famous for advising the rulers to be feared more than loved and use any necessary means to maintain power. Morality is optional, while the image is everything.
Fr. Gracian, on the other hand, writes first of all for souls. And although it recommends a strategic use of appearances by pragmatism, it emphasizes the value of good judgment and moral coherence, even when situations that require diplomatic containment are navigated. “Good exteriority is the best recommendation of interior perfection.”
Machiavelli could have taught the world how to conquer and win, but Fr. Gracián teaches us how to endure, shine and remain faithful in the long term. His voice is not triumphant or defeatist. It is that of an experienced confessor, a wise friend and a insightful guide whose ultimate goal is the salvation of souls.
Holy, says at its maximum number 300 and last, “that is, everything at once”, “It is the chain virtue of all perfections, the center of congratulations. She makes a prudent, attentive, sagaz, sane, wise, wise, courageous, reported, reported, whole, happy, plausible, true and universal hero.”
Why does Elon Musk read it?
Elon Musk has said in interviews and social networks that Manual oracle and prudence art It is one of his favorite books. What finds a secular genius in the maxims of a Jesuit that many have forgotten?
The answer, perhaps, is that Fr. Gracián teaches mental clarity, strategic virtue and moral realism, all based on a deep understanding of the human heart. He warns against speaking too much, helping wrong people or giving more than prudent. For Catholics who navigate complex relationships, problematic institutions or toxic work environments, their voice can be a lifeguard.
In an era of rampant relativism and mediocrity, its message remains as relevant as ever: be holy, but not naive. Be good, but not dumb. Be innocent and wise.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in the National Catholic Register.
Solène Tadié
Correspondent in Europe of the National Catholic Register. He is Franco-Suziza and worked at the L’Osservatore Romano in 2015. He has a degree in Philosophy of the Pontifical University of Santo Tomás de Aquino.