Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time (In Two Lines or Less), The
Author: John M. Shanahan
List Price: $22.95
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ISBN: 0060194111
Publisher: HarperResource (01 June, 1999)
Sales Rank: 2,915
Average Customer Rating: 3.54 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5
Most of the most intelligent one-liners of all time
This is a great little book to read when you are looking for illumination by humanity's intellects and wags. Shanahan has done a good job of editing these into topical sections. My only complaint with the book is that the editor decides to include a number of his own thoughts among the "Most Brilliant". Now he is a smart man, to be sure, but it is just a little too prideful to include yourself in such a book. His first self quote appears on the very first page of quotes. What his self inclusion does do, however is illustrate the difference between the truly brialliant thoughts and those that aren't. Shanahan's editorial job is delightful, his self promotion to most brilliant embarassing for him at best.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Good Resource
This book lends an array of good quips for every occasion, from ironic to inspirational. It's light reading for times when you want to be amused. The title seems arrogant and a major overstatment, but there are indeed some good quotes to be found here. If you are looking for a truly outstanding collection of quotes, as I was, I suggest you read "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Wisdom" by Taro Gold.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Great book to peruse once a day.
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Summary: Great book to review each day and contemplate one or two thoughts from some of the world's foremost "thinkers".
The point is to contemplate their thoughts, not to just accept them. Just like reading your daily astrology, some quotes can be so general as to lack basis.
Good reference tool for writers, or leaders who need to quickly and capably convey thoughts, or ideas.
Includes a CD to listen to in the car, etc.
Review:
Shanahan has put together many great one liners into a single volume; about 6 per page.
Contents are logically divided:
Acknowledgments
1.....The Human Condition
2.....Success, Fortune, Failure, and Misfortune
3.....Truth, Lies, and Deception
4.....Talk, Talk, Talk
5.....Passions, Virtues, and Vices
6.....It's Only in Your Mind
7.....Men, Women, and Relationships
8.....Religion, Nature, and God
9.....Life's Passages
10....Human Foibles
11....Pursuits - Artistic and Otherwise
12....History and Government
13....Stuff to Think About
Sources
The "Sources" lists each author alphabetically, with the quote source and quote placement with the page numbers.
Negative:
1.....The CD has no look-up capability, so you can only listen to it linearly, and cannot use it as a search tool.
2.....There is no index, or topical list for searching for quotes using specific words (like searching for "love", "ocean", "heart", etc).
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