How to Use Your Enemies
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- Create Date：2021-05-17 07:52:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Baltasar Gracián
- ISBN：0141398272
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Summary
'Better mad with the crowd than sane all alone'
In these witty， Machiavellian aphorisms， unlikely Spanish priest Baltasar Gracián shows us how to exploit friends and enemies alike to thrive in a world of deception and illusion。
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday。 Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics， with books from around the world and across many centuries。 They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan， from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe。 Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions。
Baltasar Gracián （1601-1658）。
Gracián's work is available in Penguin Classics in The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence。
In these witty， Machiavellian aphorisms， unlikely Spanish priest Baltasar Gracián shows us how to exploit friends and enemies alike to thrive in a world of deception and illusion。
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday。 Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics， with books from around the world and across many centuries。 They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan， from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe。 Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions。
Baltasar Gracián （1601-1658）。
Gracián's work is available in Penguin Classics in The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence。
Reviews
Julian Leu
，
Baltasar Gracián， a Spanish Jesuit priest from the 17th century， offers his opinions on morals， interacting in social contexts and rules for behaviour in order to achieve success， rather than hedonism。 The selection is taken from his book， published almost a full century after Niccolo Machiavelli's 'The Prince'， and it does have a fair amount of similarities with the Florentine classic。 However， while The Prince was deeply rooted in political astuteness， Gracián's aphorisms are less contextualis Baltasar Gracián， a Spanish Jesuit priest from the 17th century， offers his opinions on morals， interacting in social contexts and rules for behaviour in order to achieve success， rather than hedonism。 The selection is taken from his book， published almost a full century after Niccolo Machiavelli's 'The Prince'， and it does have a fair amount of similarities with the Florentine classic。 However， while The Prince was deeply rooted in political astuteness， Gracián's aphorisms are less contextualised and more generic。 I don't really agree with other reviewers in considering Gracián's advice as vile， because if you read carefully， he strikes a very good balance in terms of morality - although indeed， sometimes the level of cunning he displays is impressive considering his priesthood - but it does make contextual sense， as such a position was never without its share of political machinations。 The advice here is incredibly relevant even four centuries later， and applies to a multitude of contexts today。 Most aphorisms seem to apply to politics or business - the fact that reputation is difficult to win and very easy to lose in an instant， varying procedures in order to achieve the best outcomes， preparing for the worst case scenarios， thinking ahead - but also to sports （quitting while fortunte is smiling） or simply day-to-day life （having friends， asking questions， do good， don't meddle in someone else's business unless invited to， understand the characters of various people and know how to deal with them， be aware of the source when informing oneself， keep calm， learn from others， etc）。 Then there are a number of more morally grey considerations， which are not necessarily "evil" but showcase the necessity of a certain level of astuteness in behaviour and communication， which is sometimes necessary in society: knowing someone else's weak spots， being evasive when necessary， concealing inner wishes and true intentions so as to not give all your cards away， don't expose your weaknesses， make use of friends， tell white lies， and be ready to play the fool in certain situations。 Everybody does most of these things， either consciously or unconsciously， and a careful introspection will surely reveal such instances。 This is why I thing Gracián's advice is perfectly sensible in moral terms。What I really didn't like was the fact that he was willing to go to such extents as to sacrifice one's opinions， worldview。。。 in short， individuality - for continued success and stature。 Here， I very much disagree with Gracián。 He thinks it is important to go with the flow （"better sane with the majority than mad all alone"）， and that your reasoning and taste should alter towards the latest currents， and should permanently remain "in fashion"， as dictated by the latest trends and preferences of the masses。 Of course， Gracián rightly points out that these currents might be worthless in essence， but looking at behaviour within a society， he deems most people as ignorant， and therefore thinks it is important to go with them rather than against them。 I respectfully disagree， but I can also see where hes coming from。 。。。more
Federico
，
Basically the original "48 laws of power"， the theme is the same。 Highly recommended。 Basically the original "48 laws of power"， the theme is the same。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Andra
，
Wow。 This was definitely something。 Although I have a flawed conception of priests， may I say: this book made me love Baltasar Gracian and the ，，holy" lifestyle。 I always thought there isn't much beyond the spiritual propaganda when it came to priests: oh boy， was I wrong ！ I loved this because more than teaching you ，，How to use your enemies" （as the title says） it teaches you how NOT to make enemies and keep good blood with everybody， all while being content with yourself and not feeling like Wow。 This was definitely something。 Although I have a flawed conception of priests， may I say: this book made me love Baltasar Gracian and the ，，holy" lifestyle。 I always thought there isn't much beyond the spiritual propaganda when it came to priests: oh boy， was I wrong ！ I loved this because more than teaching you ，，How to use your enemies" （as the title says） it teaches you how NOT to make enemies and keep good blood with everybody， all while being content with yourself and not feeling like you are just faking a personality。 So。。。basically: you CAN be yourself， be at peace and be liked （ by the majority， but never by everyone， unfortunately）。 Good news is also that Gracian gives you a safe way to his own mind， as he follows all the rules himself。 Although some rules are either repetitive or contradictive， this book is a 10 out of 10 and I loved the concept behind it。 Furthemore， I love how something written so much time ago still applies today。 Loved it， love it and will love it。 A great book for everybody， but especially for philosophy/ classics lovers。5/5 。。。more
Alicia Larsson
，
Some good tips。 But I think its outdated and some tips I’m just like: no， no I’m not going to do that。。。
James Bean
，
"[S]killfully make those whom nature made superior your servants。" Sorry， but what even is this？ A guideline on how to become a toxic person？ How to Use Your Enemies is a weird collection of advice on how to manipulate other people to one´s own advantage。 These ideas are written in paragraphs that are always starting off with a pseudo-expressive catch-phrase， followed by a completely amoral life tip。 For example， the reader is advised to only do nice things to receive nice things in return; c "[S]killfully make those whom nature made superior your servants。" Sorry， but what even is this？ A guideline on how to become a toxic person？ How to Use Your Enemies is a weird collection of advice on how to manipulate other people to one´s own advantage。 These ideas are written in paragraphs that are always starting off with a pseudo-expressive catch-phrase， followed by a completely amoral life tip。 For example， the reader is advised to only do nice things to receive nice things in return; conceal one´s mistakes instead of owning up to them; be suspcious of your friends all the time and always assume the worst in other people。 Thank you Mr。 Gracián， but I think I can be a shi*ty person on my own and don´t need any help going in that direction。 （Seriously though， I think he should have gone to therapy。） Moreover， the concept of the "circumvent" person is established， which is supposed to represent a human being that allegedly is modest for avoiding conflict and deceiving other people in order to please them。 But that´s simply not how life works at all！ Circumventing is simply avoidance， so these "tips" are merely a guide on how to become a totally unreliable， unsafe person。 And the slack argument that everyone disagreeing with these ideas is an unauthentic person was almost laughable。Overall， this collection has a strong "I´m 14 and this is deep"-vibe。 5 pages in I was already totally annoyed by it and decided to hurry up with finishing this weird book in order to move on to Keats。 This is really one of the few books in which literally not a single idea struck me as convincing。 All in all， a disappointing， indeed enraging read。 。。。more
Ana Maria
，
Someone named this book “How to be an ass and manipulate people”， but honestly this is such a surface-level understanding of this book that it is laughable。 I wouldn’t have imagined giving 5 stars to a 50-page collection of shrewd maxims writen by a 17th century Spanish priest， yet here we are。 First of all， what stroke me the most was how modern Baltasar Gracián’s ideas and way of expressing them are。 I just can’t comprehend how it was writen more than three centuries ago， when all he says is s Someone named this book “How to be an ass and manipulate people”， but honestly this is such a surface-level understanding of this book that it is laughable。 I wouldn’t have imagined giving 5 stars to a 50-page collection of shrewd maxims writen by a 17th century Spanish priest， yet here we are。 First of all， what stroke me the most was how modern Baltasar Gracián’s ideas and way of expressing them are。 I just can’t comprehend how it was writen more than three centuries ago， when all he says is so fresh and applies to the current world so well。 Secondly， Gracián was a priest， yet he isn’t indulging himself in that “do good and you will receive good in return” mentality。 He understood the mechanisms of the world and how to use them to your advantage。 I know his maxims may seem cold， but the man speaks the truth。 Sadly， this is how real world works。 Last but not least， his words are， simply put， beautiful。 Gorgeous。 Mesmerizing。 An eye opening reading。 。。。more
Mai Mislang
，
A tiny book chock-full of wisdom: “We are born to know and to know ourselves， and books reliably turn us into people。”
Maria
，
Fascinanta daca tinem cont cand a fost scrisa si de catre cine。
Paula （lovebookscl）
，
Pensamientos muy interesantes de Baltasar Gracián。 Las buenas maneras de vivir en sociedad， interactuar con extraños poderosos， extraños tontos y otros que son tus enemigos。 La aventura de convivir con amigos， de presentar un buen carácter y sobrevivir de alguna forma este extraño mundo que siempre está mirando lo bueno y lo malo en ti。 En resumen， Gracián aplaude las acciones discretas， más los silencios que las opiniones a viva voz， a dejar ir batallas perdidas y saber jugar tus cartas。 Hay va Pensamientos muy interesantes de Baltasar Gracián。 Las buenas maneras de vivir en sociedad， interactuar con extraños poderosos， extraños tontos y otros que son tus enemigos。 La aventura de convivir con amigos， de presentar un buen carácter y sobrevivir de alguna forma este extraño mundo que siempre está mirando lo bueno y lo malo en ti。 En resumen， Gracián aplaude las acciones discretas， más los silencios que las opiniones a viva voz， a dejar ir batallas perdidas y saber jugar tus cartas。 Hay varias frases que encontré muy bellas y que hasta el día de hoy sirven。 Me gustaría mucho leer el clásico completo 。。。more
~Madison
，
The best little black classic I’ve read yet！It’s comforting but also scary to know that humans really haven’t changed since this book was written in the 1600s。
Maud van Lier
，
Gracián makes it appear as if he describes the best way to live， but to me it seems that taking this advice will cause you to be a very lonely， limited， fake and narcistic person。
Thabo Arthur
，
A book that preaches balance。 It feels aware of the reality of life。 It's not telling the reader to deceive others to always ensure personal gain， but it also isn't recommending always being the bigger person。 I feel the biggest lesson this book teaches is for us to always be circumspect when considering how to manage our relationships with people。 A book that preaches balance。 It feels aware of the reality of life。 It's not telling the reader to deceive others to always ensure personal gain， but it also isn't recommending always being the bigger person。 I feel the biggest lesson this book teaches is for us to always be circumspect when considering how to manage our relationships with people。 。。。more
Misa
，
A book full of wisedome。 If I start to quote from it I'm going to write all the book。 Even if it's in the 17th all the advices can still be followed in our modern society and with it's people because it seems that people don't change and you will always meet some toxic ones that you will need to know how to act with them or to stay away from。 It's a real discovery that I will go back to it from time to time。 A book full of wisedome。 If I start to quote from it I'm going to write all the book。 Even if it's in the 17th all the advices can still be followed in our modern society and with it's people because it seems that people don't change and you will always meet some toxic ones that you will need to know how to act with them or to stay away from。 It's a real discovery that I will go back to it from time to time。 。。。more
Alan
，
A phenomenal book that is full of very tangible wisdom。 Easy to read。 Worth meditating on。
Kirtida Gautam
，
"You must know how to take hold of everything-- not by the blade， which wounds， but by the hilt， which defends。" The book seems as relevant today as it must have been in its time， 1647。 That's a great feat to achieve。 It is brilliant。 "You must know how to take hold of everything-- not by the blade， which wounds， but by the hilt， which defends。" The book seems as relevant today as it must have been in its time， 1647。 That's a great feat to achieve。 It is brilliant。 。。。more
Emily
，
If I had memorized this when I was fourteen， I'd be Grand Vizier of something by now。A priest wrote this。 If I had memorized this when I was fourteen， I'd be Grand Vizier of something by now。A priest wrote this。 。。。more
Shazia Noor
，
'Better mad with the crowd than sane all alone。。。' "How to Use Your Enemies" is written by a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher， Baltasar Gracuán and translated by Jeremy Robbins。This book is a collection of maxims based on succession in this hazardous world。 It's a selection from a larger work entitled ‘The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence’。It talks on doubling the life's necessities just like nature doubled the important parts of the body， to leave troublesome work alone。 'Better mad with the crowd than sane all alone。。。' "How to Use Your Enemies" is written by a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher， Baltasar Gracuán and translated by Jeremy Robbins。This book is a collection of maxims based on succession in this hazardous world。 It's a selection from a larger work entitled ‘The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence’。It talks on doubling the life's necessities just like nature doubled the important parts of the body， to leave troublesome work alone。It definitely is a valuable read and I'd love to give it a re-read。 Though I do not agree on some parts like making friends for our benefits and twisting them according to our preference。 But there are still a few teachings that one should read。____Penguin little black classics - 12My mom gifted the whole box of these 80 tiny little black classics on my birthday in 2019 and I couldn't be more greatful and thankful to her。 They're all so small and with pretty little black covers。 I'm excited to explore more authors from all over the world。 I'll be reading them by the number of series they're arranged in and will be giving short reviews for each of them。 。。。more
Dragomir Mirela
，
It was ok， I don't know what to say。 Maybe it is good for other people but it doesn't work for me 。。。 Meh It was ok， I don't know what to say。 Maybe it is good for other people but it doesn't work for me 。。。 Meh 。。。more
Enrico
，
I loved it。 It's a collection of machiavellian style rules for cunning and deception， of which the title of this book "How to Use Your Enemies" is only one of many。 Most of these rules are about half a page long。 I loved it。 It's a collection of machiavellian style rules for cunning and deception， of which the title of this book "How to Use Your Enemies" is only one of many。 Most of these rules are about half a page long。 。。。more
Jacob Roberts
，
“Nothing is more worthy of applause than speaking well of someone who speaks ill of you。。。”Some little treasures in here。 Mostly just a quote book， but makes it easy to read a bit here and there。 Onto the next one。
Jin
，
Half the world is laughing at the other half， and all are fools。Intrigued by the title， I had bought this one （and several others from this Penguins collection）。 Even though it was written in the seventeenth century， it can still be applied to today's life to some parts。 The writing style is very direct and lacks empathy but I think this was just how it was back in the time。 I like this kind of clear， direct speech but I can understand when people get upset or can't relate to this book。 To be ho Half the world is laughing at the other half， and all are fools。Intrigued by the title， I had bought this one （and several others from this Penguins collection）。 Even though it was written in the seventeenth century， it can still be applied to today's life to some parts。 The writing style is very direct and lacks empathy but I think this was just how it was back in the time。 I like this kind of clear， direct speech but I can understand when people get upset or can't relate to this book。 To be honest， some parts of this book is outright dangerous when you don't take time to think properly about it。 Let's take the advice "to use your friends"。 It sounds very harsh but think deeper about friendship: you do choose people to have a friendship with and you get benefits from any relationship （including friendship）。 Actually， I interpreted it for me that the author suggests to "give and take" from friends， and not just to be on the giving side。 But if you take the words as they are and start "using friends" just as you want， you may have no friends at all in the end。 The author also focuses on the importance of knowing oneself。 You know， nowadays people keep on saying to love oneself。 And I think this is the same here， you need to know&love yourself in order to know your moral， abilities and also your unlucky days。 After you are done with yourself， which is hard enough， you can proceed with your friends， to be affectionate and also "how to use your enemies"。 The importance also lies in being able to adapt and also knowing how to refuse。 It all sounds so easy on paper， right？ It would be great if it would be so easy to change oneself and to be more stoic。 Neither love nor hate forever。Btw， these Penguin Little Black Classics are fantastic and I highly recommend them。 They are cheap to purchase and you get into classic literature easily in a short time。 。。。more
Laurence
，
Some good advice inside， but some of it is quite dated and shows。 I get the feeling there was a lot more mistrust back then than these days。
Alex
，
Evil but hilarious。
Andrea Zuvich
，
A brilliantly timeless， thought-provoking， and enlightening Baroque read。 I really recommend this book and hope to be reading more of Gracián's work in the future。 A brilliantly timeless， thought-provoking， and enlightening Baroque read。 I really recommend this book and hope to be reading more of Gracián's work in the future。 。。。more
Sayantan Sen
，
If I could give it more stars， I would have given it。 This book has changed my life， my outlook， the way I see the world。 Reread it whenever I get stuck 🤓
Anna C
，
If Machiavelli was Spanish。。。 and not *entirely* amoral。。。
Moushmi Radhanpara
，
How to thrive in a world of deception？ These aphorisms are a tad bit hunorous but mostly remind me of Chanakya Neeti。 However， it had no similar impact on me。 A few of them stayed but not all。 But may be it is all true and virtue alone makes us worthy of love while alive and remembered when dead。
Jason
，
Still relevantMany parts of this book are as relevant now as they were when this was written。 Some logical inconsistencies perhaps， in occasion。
PHILO SORIA
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One star for the soundness of arguments。 I can see why some people find it amazing- Bad is cool， sly is good。 To me this book gives away Graciàn to be an insecure man during his time。 So much so that he had to be calculating and cunning for the sake of admiration。 He spoke of persons who were naturally likeable but I suppose he was not one of them。 Be truthful， he says yet sugarcoat your mouth for your enemies， keep friends but use them to your advantage。 The title should've been 'How to use you One star for the soundness of arguments。 I can see why some people find it amazing- Bad is cool， sly is good。 To me this book gives away Graciàn to be an insecure man during his time。 So much so that he had to be calculating and cunning for the sake of admiration。 He spoke of persons who were naturally likeable but I suppose he was not one of them。 Be truthful， he says yet sugarcoat your mouth for your enemies， keep friends but use them to your advantage。 The title should've been 'How to use your enemies and FRIENDS' and then it ends with telling you to aspire for virtue。 。。。more
Katy
，
‘truth is normally seen and rarely heard’This quote from the book really resonated with me as that has been very much my experience in my life thus far。 What amazed me most about this little book， was how relevant it still is today， lots of real pearls here as well as some questionable viewpoints。 Well worth a read。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How to Use Your Enemies
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How to Use Your Enemies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft