Joel Manuel de Castela was a medieval writer considered the first representative of medieval prose, in this article we gather some of your most important phrases that illustrate the way you think.
However, before actually entering the subject, it is important to note that Joao Manuel de Castela was the guardian of King Afonso XI.
- In addition.
- If you are the author of several books.
- There is one that stands out from the others: Count Lucanor.
- Which can be addressed through the article Introduction to Count Lucanor.
The phrases of Joo Manuel de Castela, which we will discover below, are adapted to current language. However, we will find that the syntax and lexicon used are “medieval”. This is because this writer was born and lived in the 13th and 14th centuries.
“By the words and deeds of some liars, do not break your friendship with precious men. “
This first sentence of Joo Manuel de Castela is a clear and direct criticism of people who lie, after all, who use lying systematically do so because they want to hurt or because they feel a great desire for others. as far as men of courage are concerned, as this author calls them.
The consequences of this are that, many times, right? That they really aren’t and that they damage the reputation or perspective we may have in relation to some people we consider friends.
For this reason, Joo Manuel de Castela highlights this aspect and asks for extreme caution in this regard.
“In the right realities, you can trust, but in fantasies, you have to walk away. “
One thing we usually fall into with some frequency is what Joo Manuel de Castela calls fantasies. This term can also be defined as daydreaming or getting carried away by “romantic” dreams. The result is usually a total disconnection of reality.
However, we may ask ourselves: how do we know what realities are true ?, this has not been foreseen by Joo Manuel de Castela, because each of us has a completely different perception of reality depending on our experiences, and they are all valid.
“For fear of criticism, as long as you don’t do any harm, be sure to do whatever’s most convenient for you in each case. “
We could say, without fear of making mistakes, that fear is one of the great evils of the time in which we live today, but this paralyzing emotion was already present in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Fear of what others will say and criticism prevent us from doing what we want. It is an inappropriate fear, as the article Anxiety and Fear points out: adaptive value and poor adaptation.
This third of Joo Manuel de Castela’s sentences remind us that we do not need to focus too much on what others say about our actions, if we do not do something wrong, let us move on, otherwise we will end up repenting. in the future for not being more assertive.
“Wine is very virtuous, but harmful when misused. “
This other phrase by Joo Manuel de Castela is very curious, we know that consumed moderately, wine does not harm our health, however, the main problem is that this writer warns against its misuse or uncontrolled use.
This can be extrapolated to other areas of our lives. Because any excess can end up doing us more evil than good. In fact, as in the example presented in the phrase, it is not wine that is “bad”, it is our actions that do it.
“Protect yourself from the one who praises you for what you don’t have, because he wants what you have. “
Finally, we end up with this phrase that warns us against the compliments that some relatives can make us, that although we all like to receive them, in some cases they can hide lies, as this author points out.
What Joo Manuel de Castela means by these lies is that praise to others may have another kind of intention, for example, to achieve something like a favor, thus being a form of manipulation, so you have to pay attention and analyze whether these compliments are true or not.
Have you ever read Count Lucanor?These phrases allow us to get a little closer to the thinking of this important writer from the Middle Ages and, in addition, surely they can help you think about some of the problems.
Which one did you like best?