Because the ignorant do not know themselves, they never know for what they are lacking. Some would be sages if they did not believe they were so already.
• Maxim 176 (p. 100)
• Maxim 176 (p. 100)
“
Como los ignorantes no se conocen, tampoco buscan lo que les falta. Serían sabios algunos si no creyessen que lo son.
— Baltasar Gracián
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Como los ignorantes no se conocen, tampoco buscan lo que les falta. Serían sabios algunos si no creyessen que lo son." in the context of "Because the ignorant do not know themselves, they never know for what they are lacking. Some would be sages if they did not believe they were so already.
• Maxim 176 (p. 100)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Baltasar Gracián" (Quotes, The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647): Oráculo manual y arte de prudencia, the title of which has been translated, as The Oracle, a Manual of the Art of Discretion and The Art of Worldly Wisdom, was a collection of maxims. Page numbers provided here are from The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle (1992), translated by Christopher Maurer,
See also Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Baltasar Gracián
Baltasar Gracián y Morales (8 January 1601 – 6 December 1658), most widely known as Baltasar Gracián, was a Spanish Jesuit author regarded as one of the most accomplished prose stylists of the Baroque era.
About Baltasar Gracián
Baltasar Gracián y Morales (8 January 1601 – 6 December 1658), most widely known as Baltasar Gracián, was a Spanish Jesuit author regarded as one of the most accomplished prose stylists of the Baroque era.
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