Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1064IR // #c1064Synthesis

"All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into play." "First guess a man's ruling passion, appeal to it by a word, set it in motion by temptation"

— In our words · Source: The Art of Worldly Wisdom (Baltasar Gracián)

[Use when]

Your good arguments keep failing on someone and you have not asked what they actually want.

[Why it matters]

The maxim is a three-step sequence: diagnose the dominant motive, name it briefly, then offer something that feeds it. He adds that the working motive is more often the lowest part of a person's nature than the highest.

Filed under situations:When you need a yes and they’re not there yetWhen the other side has more leverage

More from The Art of Worldly Wisdom

#c1063"They will allow a man to help them but not to surpass them, and will have any advice tendered them appear like a recollection of something…You have to correct someone above you who is proud of their judgment. #c1065"To dissent from others' views is regarded as an insult, because it is their condemnation. Disgust is doubled on account of the thing…You think a popular plan is wrong and are tempted to say so in the all-hands. #c1066"You must pass through the circumference of time before arriving at the centre of opportunity." "Time's crutch effects more than the iron…The other side needs the deal closed this quarter and you do not.

Same situation, different book

#c1356Show them the engine, skip the pitchYou have a metric that proves your value better than any presentation.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1322Fill the reservoir of trust before you need itYou'll eventually need a deal with a rival and have no reason yet to talk to them.From Courage Can Save Us #c1279The Smarties test for adultsYou're sure the other side must see what you see.From Trade Outside the Box #c1277Listen and then thinkYou're preparing what to say in a meeting where you haven't yet heard the other side.From The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy