Francesco Guicciardini's "Ricordi" were published posthumously in Paris in 1576 by the scholar Jacopo Corbinelli. They are a collection of short reflections written between 1512 and 1530. The work is considered a model for writing maxims and aphorisms, in which Guicciardini analyzes Machiavelli's historical approach.
From the title "Avvertimenti" (Warnings), they present themselves as such: sententious maxims, brief thoughts, moral and practical recommendations, seasoned with uncommon clarity of thought. Their intended audience—it's worth remembering to better contextualize the work—is primarily family members (from this perspective, the Ricordi can certainly be ascribed to the important tradition of Tuscan, and particularly Florentine, "mercantile" literature).