„La verdad siempre llega la última y tarde, cojeando con el Tiempo” – Baltasar Gracián

This talk is about a book which could provocatively be referred to as a secret classic of management literature. The author himself called it a memorial (von Schopenhauer mit „Denkbuch“ übersetzt). The book‘s title keeps its promise: the oraculo manual is intended for more than just reading. The 300 brief maxims contained in the oraculo manual are an intellectual and moral challenge. Gracian’s style – ingeniously concise sentences, in which his experience as a political advisor at the royal court come to the fore – provoke one’s intellect and make the effect of the content particularly impactful. My aim is to decode his biography and his style in order to make the oraculo manual accessible. A large portion of my talk will consist of explaining the curious title. To do this, I will look at the circumstances in which Gracián lived and at his conception of man. I will then present a strategy from the oraculo manual, the strategy of “as if”. This strategy makes clear a stylistic peculiarity and focal point of the work, namely the veiled multi-dimensionality and the problem of combining practical with moral action. By the end, it will become clear that Gracian is concerned with promoting the autonomy, the growth and the freedom of the individual.