The art of worldly wisdom.

The 'Art↗ of 'Worldly 'Wisdom 27. 'Prize↗ in'tensity 'more↗than ex'tent 'Prize↗ in'tensity 'more↗than ex'tent. 'Excellence re'sides↗ in 'quality /'not↗ in 'quantity. The 'best↗is 'always 'few↗ and'rare: 'much 'lowers 'value. 'Even among 'men 'giants↗ are 'commonly the 'real↗'dwarfs. 'Some↗'reckon 'books↗ by the 'thickness, as if they were written to 'try↗the 'brawn 'more↗than the 'brain. Ex'tent↗ a'lone 'never rises above medi'ocrity: it is the 'mis'fortune of 'uni'versal 'geniuses that in at'tempting to be at 'home↗'everywhere, are so 'nowhere. In'tensity gives 'eminence, and 'rises to the he'roic / in 'matters su'blime. 48. 'So↗ much 'depends on 'being a'person of 'depth 'So↗ much de'pends on 'being a'person of 'depth. The in'terior must be at 'least↗as im'pressive as the ex'terior. 'Some↗ people's 'character is 'all↗ fa'cade, like 'houses that, 'due↗ to 'lack↗ of 'means, have the 'portico of a'palace/ leading to the 'rooms↗of a'cottage. It is 'no↗ use 'boring into such people — al'though↗they will bore 'you — because 'conver'sation 'flags after the 'first↗'salu'tation. They 'prance↗through the 'first↗'compliments like Si'cilian 'stallions, but' silence 'quickly 'follows, for the 'flow↗ of 'words↗'soon 'ceases/ where there is 'no↗'spring↗ of 'thoughts. 'Others may be 'taken 'in by them because they them'selves have 'super'ficial 'views, but 'not↗the 'prudent, who look wi'thin them and find 'nothing there / ex'cept↗ ma'terial for 'scorn.