The man who has sufficient power over himself to wait until his nature has recovered its even balance is the truly wise man, but such beings are seldom met with.
Giacomo CasanovaRead
Cheating is a sin, but honest cunning is simply prudence. It is a virtue. To be sure, it has a likeness to roguery, but that cannot be helped. He who has not learned to practice it is a fool.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that while cheating is morally wrong, being clever and shrewd in a honest way is a valuable skill.
Giacomo Casanova's quote presents a nuanced view of morality where he distinguishes between outright cheating and the clever, sometimes morally ambiguous behavior that can be seen as prudence. He acknowledges that while such cunningness may resemble roguery, it is a necessary skill that one must learn in order to navigate life effectively. Casanova implies that understanding the balance between honesty and cleverness is essential for success, and that those who dismiss it are misguided.
Themes
CheatingPrudenceWisdomCunningMorality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about ethical decision-making in business.
More from Giacomo Casanova
All quotes →I have met with some of them - very honest fellows, who, with all their stupidity, had a kind of intelligence and an upright good sense, which cannot be the characteristics of fools.
Giacomo CasanovaRead
From that moment our love became sad, and sadness is a disease which gives the death-blow to affection.
Giacomo CasanovaRead
The mind of a human being is formed only of comparisons made in order to examine analogies, and therefore cannot precede the existence of memory.
Giacomo CasanovaRead
For my future I have no concern, and as a true philosopher, I never would have any, for I know not what it may be: as a Christian, on the other hand, faith must believe without discussion, and the stronger it is, the more it keeps silent.
Giacomo CasanovaRead
I have had friends who have acted kindly towards me, and it has been my good fortune to have it in my power to give them substantial proofs of my gratitude.
Giacomo CasanovaRead
Similar quotes
He who has nothing—it has been said many times—has nothing to lose but his chains.
Pablo NerudaRead
When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons.
Sigmund FreudRead
Now all you can do is wait. It must be hard for you, but there is a right time for everything. Like the ebb and flow of tides. No one can do anything to change them. When it is time to wait, you must wait.
Haruki MurakamiRead
The unexpected action of deep listening can create a space of transformation capable of shattering complacency and despair.
Terry Tempest WilliamsRead
Reality - the way that is, exactly as it is, in every moment - is always kind. It's our story about reality that blurs our vision, obscures what's true, and leads us to believe that there is injustice in the world. I sometimes say that you move totally away from reality when you believe that there is a legitimate reason to suffer.
Byron KatieRead
Throw away my book: you must understand that it represents only one of a thousand attitudes. You must find your own. If someone else could have done something as well as you, don’t do it. If someone else could have said something as well as you, don’t say it—or written something as well as you, don’t write it. Grow fond only of that which you can find nowhere but in yourself, and create out of yourself, impatiently or patiently, ah! that most irreplaceable of beings.
Andre GideRead