"The only serious thing is to be serious" and other "simple" reflections from Rajoy

MadridFrom the author of "It is the mayor who wants the residents to be the mayor." and of "Very Spanish and very Spanisharrives in bookstores The art of governing (Almuzara, 2025). Mariano Rajoy presented his new book Wednesday evening, which, according to his own definition, is "a reflection of my way of being, thinking, and seeing life." "It's impossible to read that sentence and not hear Rajoy," agreed Alberto Núñez Feijóo during the event, referring to one of the reflections included by the former president of the Spanish government and of the PP party: "The only serious thing is to be serious."

This wasn't the only gem that provoked laughter from the audience, who at times may have thought they were witnessing a stand-up comedy routine. "Everyone is who they are, and I am who I am. I hope you understand," Rajoy explained. However, those responsible for introducing the book wanted to make it clear that its "simplicity," which may "crush some commentators," does not mean it is devoid of content. "This book exudes practical, not abstract, intelligence," said Benigno Pendás, president of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. The book's editor, Manuel Pimentel, concurred: "It's a book of wisdom, not just knowledge."

"In politics, sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils," "Be careful not to speak out of turn," "You learn more from mistakes than from successes," "Getting angry will lead you to make mistakes," "Don't wait for anyone to thank you," and "Think things through before making a decision." These are some of the lessons, expressed concisely and accessibly, that Rajoy presents in the book, lessons he says he has learned during his nearly 40 years in politics. "It's not a treatise on political philosophy, but it is a book about politics," he emphasized. Some of his demands relate to the defense of the unity of Spain, the Constitution, and the monarchy, with special mention of Juan Carlos I's role during the Transition.

He also reveals his character as a leader. "Sometimes not making a decision is a way of making it," he states in the book. During the presentation, Rajoy recalled that this is precisely what he did when faced with the dilemma of requesting a bank bailout from the EU. The former Spanish president referred to the summonses he received from congressional investigative committees to discuss "absurd things," such as Operation Catalonia. The key, he said, is to "dismiss" the members of parliament with a joke, "or you end up with a problem."

Feijóo and the "Anotop at" slip of the tongue

The current leader of the People's Party (PP) began his day in Congress with a slip of the tongue during the question period, which sparked a flurry of memes on social media. "Anotop at," he stumbled over his words at the end of his exchange with Pedro Sánchez when he meant to say "Anatomy of a Fraud," the name of a hypothetical series that would explain the life of the Socialist leader. Images quickly appeared, including one of a poster for a series titled... Anotop atwith Sánchez's image, or even the instructions for assembling an IKEA piece of furniture with that name.

"Time spent preparing for a debate is never wasted. It's wise to have improvisations prepared." Feijóo admitted that he could apply this other phrase from Rajoy's book as advice. "I don't follow it, I admit it," said the leader of the opposition, who joked that a possible title for the event's chronicles could be "Feijóo Becomes Rajoy." "I've done my homework. I've read practically the entire book and underlined it," he assured.