{"product_id":"9780385503143","title":"A Pocket Mirror for Heroes","description":"\u003ci\u003eA Pocket Mirror for Heroes\u003c\/i\u003e is a mirror because it reflects \"the person you are or the one you ought to be.\" It is a pocket mirror because its author took the time to be brief.  And it is a mirror for heroes because it provides a vivid image of ethical and moral perfection to which all can aspire.  \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Worldly Wisdom \u003c\/i\u003eby Baltasar Gracian was all but forgotten for three hundred years, until its republication in 1992 turned this lost classic into a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times  \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller.  Now Gracian, the Spanish Jesuit considered Machiavelli's better in strategy and insight, sets a new standard on the art of living and the practice of achieving.  That new standard is the art of heroism--how to be \"the consummate person, ripe and perfect: accurate in judgment, mature in taste, attentive in listening, wise in sayings, shrewd in deeds, the center of all perfection.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGracian teaches the reader to be \"a giant\"--\"the greatest person possible, a miracle of perfection, a king.\" Wit, wisdom, courage, elegance, grace, humility, spontaneity--these are the qualities needed to reach heroism in any occupation.  But it is not enough to be wise or graceful: one must learn as well how to manage that talent, how to distinguish a quality fiom its shadow. \u003ci\u003eA Pocket Mirror for Heroes\u003c\/i\u003e provides \"a politics for governing oneself, a compass for sailing toward excellence, an art for reaching distinction with just a few rules of discretion,\" and it will be wise and witty company for anyone who recognizes--and relishes--the challenges of daily life.","brand":"Baltasar Gracian","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback Trade paperback (US)","offer_id":47794148868308,"sku":"9780385503143","price":25.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/9208\/files\/BNCImageAPI_49791e31-e5f4-49ae-be3e-0cf8a4d2001e.jpg?v=1776181402","url":"https:\/\/penguinshop.ca\/products\/9780385503143","provider":"Penguin Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}