Quotations Books

This is the first book I have bought by Susan Branch and I could not put it down. Her ideas are so wonderful. In fact - I am going to buy every single one of her books. I love the quotes and sayings. There are so many wonderful ideas to share with your spouse. A definite must have.

This book by Susan Branch is indeed a quaint keepsake. It`s filled with easy recipes, quips, quotes, and fun stories. I especially like that each page is unique and pleasing to the eye. With her own whimsical artwork and hand written style, I found it most enjoyable!

This keepsake book is a great gift idea for someone who has recently gotten engaged or as an anniversary gift. It has adorable illustrations and the lists are actually useful (traditional anniversary gifts).

This is a beautiful book to give at a bridal shower or as a wedding gift. There are wonderful drawings and the quotes and sayings are lovely. I especially love the "advice on marriage":

When you marry him, love him
After you marry him, study him
If he is secretive, trust him
If he is sad, cheer him
When he is talkative, listen to him
When his quarrelsome, ignore him
If he is jealous, cure him
If he cares naught for pleasure, coax him
If he favors society, accompany him
When he deserves it, kiss him
Let him think how well you understand him
But never let him know that you manage him.

Susan Branch is the best.

I used this book for Valentine ideas for my husband. The steak and potato recipes are divine! My husband loved it! This makes a terrific wedding shower gift, or just a fun b-day present. All Susan Branch books are wonderful and this is one of her best!

At first I thought "why am I getting this in February, I've already missed a whole month's of advice!" And then I opened it! It is a never-ending calendar, applicable in year 2000 and in year 2010. What a useful tool for personal development, with new and fresh quotations, as well as "food for thought" from the masters. Action steps on each page prompt the thoughts and deeds necessary for success and fulfillment. The only way to start the day!

This is a GREAT calendar! Every day it's something different--humor, wisdom, poetry, advice, inspiration. The variety keeps me engaged and looking forward to the message each day. The action step with each page provides a missing link and reminds me to get moving on changes in my life.

While the content is great, the presentation is well thought out too: the calendar works. It stands on its own, it's compact, pages turn easily, and the graphics are simple and tasteful. It works in home or office and the price is right.

I ordered several calendars thinking I would give them away for the holidays. When they arrived, I liked it so much I decided I had to give one to my husband so we'd have one at home. Although my husband and I just put it out on January 1, I know we're going to enjoy it...perpetually! I heartily recommend this as a gift for friends and colleagues, but get one for yourself too!

The Perpetual Calendar is a thought provoking collection of inspiration and instruction for practical, daily living. The Perpetual Calendar was given to employees as holiday gifts. One employee stated that he could not put it down...he read the whole year on the first day! Other Calendar recipients were family and party hostesses. Everyone agreed it was a great gift that lasts! The daily quote and complementary action step is read everyday at work. It is uplifting, positive, and a great way to start the day.

A book full of useful strategies. Uplifting and necessary on the road to achievement.

This calendar is the best I have seen. Very inspiring and fun to read. I look forward to flipping to the next page each morning and implimenting the Action Steps. Dr. Rinke's wisdom has made a big difference in my life with this calendar.

I was familiar with The Complete Kwanzaa by Doroth y Winbush Riley and had the opportunity to meet her and discovered this treasure-house of quotations. I was totally amazed and awe-struck that this book has not received world-wide attention. I bought five copies one for each member of my family.

I use this book for every speech that I write. It is an invaluable resource for anyone who reads, speaks and communicates with the public. I have worn out two copies and had four copies borrowed by relatives because once they start reading My Soul, they can't put it down.

As a recent graduate of Spelman collge I have used this book on everything from essays to speeches. It contains many rare and unusual quotations and has inspired me to do further research on unknown authors whose quotes are found within.It is a must have for all students from elementary to post graduate studies!

This is the most comprehensive book of its kind. It includes not only the more popular quotes by well-known people of color, but many less popular, yet equally profound statements. Each entry is a rich morsel of hope, history or human insight. What a treasure for "souls looking back" and those pressing forward. Saluta Continua!

Okay, so this was created as a collection of quotations by people of color. And it is probably the best collection to date of this kind. But it is just flat out a great quotation book. I was recently doing a search of my quotation books (I have over 400, and regularly refer to about 50 of them) and this book had the best quotes I found, regardless of color.

I was looking for quotes to help a friend doing a book on the negative aspects of big business. Most quote books only provided positive quotes. This book had quotes by Martin Luther King Jr,, Angela Davis, Malcolm X. which fit perfectly, and not just referring to realities of people of African heritage. This book reflects a different way of looking at the world, a perspective that evolved from slavery and a history of having to fight to gain the grounds of freedom and equality. It is a great book for all students, not just ones of African heritage. We all need to think about the world, about life, work, God, happiness-- all the topics good quotation books explore-- from the perspective of the people of color.

Dorothy Winbush Riley, an elementary school principal and former teacher first put her quote collection together for students. She did a great job which deserved the American Library Association Best Reference Book Award.

Keep this one in mind if you are writing or speaking about social change.

My purchase of My South: A People, a Place, a World All Its Own was a gift for my 77 year old godmother who has everything she could ever need or want. I saw the book in a bookstore and fell in love with it but felt I "could find it cheaper" That I did through Amazon. It is a warm reminder of what we Southerners know and love. It was not historical documentation but memories were stirred and merely inuendos hinted of a way of life and maybe a better time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of participating in Turner South's My South Spoken Word events, and was greatly surprised and honored to be selected for inclusion in the book and DVD. The photos and words are a wonderful broad canvas of what the South really is, which bears very little resemblance to some cute British Chick talking about turnips in a bad accent. This book covers all aspects of Southern life, and the performances on the DVD are wonderfully honest and heartwarming. 3 guesses what my family is getting for Christmas presents!

St. John has combined pictures and text to form a wonderful little book that accurately describes *my* South. The only limitation is in the eyes of the viewer---only a true child of the South will fully appreciate this jewel. I have purchased three books for gifts; now, I must get one for myself.

My South: A People, a Place, a World All Its Own, edited by Bryan Curtis, is a 128 page book of poetry and photographs describing the love and sense of home that the various poets within the book have for their Southland. It is a wonderfully written and edited book which gets to the heart of what it means to be a Southerner: a person who understands that God, family and home are truly important and that ancestors are more than just names on headstones or in old genealogy books. This book is a must read for every Southern born and Southern bred individual. More than that it's a must read for those who aren't from the South and just don't get it. In conclusion, a poem found on page 44 of the book sums it up nicely:

In my South, we know the difference between
surviving and truly living.
Around here to be rich means to never go hungry,
so you'll find food, and love, and opportunity a'plenty,
and there'll be people telling you to pull up
that extra chair that always seems to be handy
and to make yourself at home at the table that
overflows with wisdom and corn bread.
And we'll quench your thirst with sun tea--
made sweet and made cold and served best in
jelly glasses and Mason jars, if you please.
--Tressy McMillian

Pick this book up y'all. Read it yourself and get copies for your friends and families. They'll thank you for it.

What a wonderful experience! The written and the spoken word presented here is very powerful. As a Southerner I identify with the feelings expressed, but even those of you who are not born southern can find sentiments that you can relate to about family and freedom. And you can learn about the REAL South!

On my office bookshelves I have perhaps 150 books of quotations, which as a writer I refer to constantly. This book of quotations stands heads and shoulders above the rest of them, not because it's women but because it's full of superb, thoughtful, wise, witty, useful quotations and because it's so well-documented (you know who actually said what, on what occasion). There's more genuine scholarship behind this than in a dozen Bartletts'. I'll buy any book Rosalie Maggio puts her name on because she does her homework and has good taste.

How refreshing to open this book and not have to search for a quote by a female! They're ALL by women! Reading through Bartlett's you'd think there were only a few quotable women on the earth. The book is divided by subject and highly readable. I recommend this book to all word lovers. It's a treasure full of previously hidden gems. . . I love this quote by Alice Walker, "Writing poems is my way of celebrating with the world that I have not committed suicide the day before."

Every night, after I've prepared my son for bed, and settle in to what I call my "cumphy ugmo couch", I reach over for my nightly Cup O' Quotes. And it doesn't seem to matter which page I turn to, there's always something there - to remind me of the day's conquests, sorrows, challenges, and accomlishments. The neat thing about history, is that someone has a story, a quote, a viewpoint that relates to you and your daily living.

This is the kind of book that makes you say, "Ah...yes...those were my thoughts exactly." or " Hmm...that's and interesting perspective." What's more invigorating is also knowing something about the person whose quotes appear on the page. This can enrich the meaning behind the quote - Tenfold.

Thanks for the Book. Sometimes, underneath it all, women take on so many roles in day-to-day living, we tend to forget...the inspite of the present day, our past history, and social and spiritual progression, we are WOMEN.

As a relationship author I'm always in search of great reference books to find quotations and generate new ideas. This book is without doubt the very best of its kind. After acquiring this one you'll see how trivial most other quotations books are...in fact most are simply gift books. But this one has a ton and a wide variety of wise, colorful, poetic, literary, self-help, and motivational quotations. I can overemphasize how much this book has been a help for me with writing. It's simply the best. All authors should own this!

This is one of the best books I've ever read. I got it as a reference book, since quotes always come in handy when I don't know what to say myself, and this book is far more exhaustive than any other book I'd seen. But then I couldn't put it down! Every page is full of the wisdom of thousands of lives, all distilled into pithy, witty quotes. It's better than the best humor book, and yet you also come away with a new perspective on things. As a reference book, it is a well-organized tool, and as pure fun it's better than a box of chocolates. How many books do you know that can claim to be both?

This was extremely interesting and diverse; there's something in here for everyone. We bought this for our 22-year-old son who just graduated from Purdue, but I found myself reading it long into the night. A real accomplishment, full of wisdom.

This was extremely interesting and diverse; there's something in here for everyone. We bought this for our 22-year-old son who just graduated from Purdue, but I found myself reading it long into the night. A real accomplishment, full of wisdom.

I loved this book. It's both inspirational and educational and the speeches are chosen with great care. Five stars all the way

Compilations only work if well edited - and this one is. Brilliant novelist Smith brings his wit and originality to this anthology of the best graduation orations of recent years, creating a book which is no mere collection of speeches, but rather a thumbnail history of contemporary American thought and history. Let someone else buy that CD player, because this is the gift your grad should have.

This was extremely interesting and diverse; there's something in here for everyone. We bought this for our 22-year-old son who just graduated from Purdue, but I found myself reading it long into the night. A real accomplishment, full of wisdom.

Oscar Wilde was one of the most brilliant men to ever live and his oeuvre definitely deserves a quote book of its own. I realize that he has several but I bought this one recently and on the cheap (I got mine used from a z shop). Here the great playwright's observations are subdivided into chapters concerning men, women, marriage, youth, sin, religion, journalism, wealth, England, America etc. It's a concise collection but contains nearly 60 pages of priceless insight. Wilde sums up a large amount of human nature almost effortlessly via the words of the characters found in his works. In fact, if you ever need a source regarding just about anything cultural he's a wonderful authority. It's too bad he did not live in our times as his irreverence would have been better appreciated and celebrated--at least by those of us who are not politically correct. Rest in Peace, hero.

This collection of Wilde's greatest quotes is an easy read, and wonderful to keep around the house. Wilde's wisdom is displayed throughout this edition, and is a must have for any Wilde fan.

"I can resist everything except temptation."
"There is no sin except stupidity."
"It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances."
"It is always with the best intentions that the worst work is done."

These laconic aphorisms are just the tip of the iceberg of Wilde's impressive, yet oftentimes eclectic and nihilistic, use of the English language. Dover gives us 60 pages of brilliant witticisms and axioms to use over and over again for a mere dollar. You can't go wrong. Also recommended - Dover's Shakespeare quotes book for a dollar. Enjoy.

This sweet little book is full of Oscar Wilde's great little quips. I absolutely love it! I keep it next to my desk and pick it up for those sweet little chuckle breaks that we all must take to break up the dreary work day! Great little read! Promise!

Everyone knows OW was a witty guy.

If you want to find witty things he said in one small book such that you can try to emulate his wit, this book is for you.

It's good for an hour's read where you will snicker, snort, and grin.

It's exactly what i expected and exactly what I got. Whee!

Hoffer's writings are crytsal clear, and a joy to read. This book contains a brillant set of aphorisms that illuminate the world we live in. Hoffer's insights cover the spectrum from everyday interactions to the psyche of the Islamic Fascist who is at war with us. Caution - Reading one of Hoffer's works will create a desire to read another.

"The Passionate State of Mind" was written by Eric Hoffer, a one-time Longshoreman, in 1954, fifty years ago, following the "True Believer" which gained much national recognition.

My suggestion to anyone interested would be to take "The Passionate State of Mind" to a park, a place on the the seashore, take some time, read, relax, and reflect on the meaning of the 280 aphorisms contained within.

One such paragraph reads: " An easygoing person is probably more accessible to the realization of eternity - the endless flow of life and death - than one who takes his prospects and duties overseriously. It is the overserious who are truly frivilous."

Or another is, simply: "Fear and Freedom are mutually exclusive."

I have no argument with either sentiment.

Anyway, my copy of "The Passionate State of Mind" is well-worn, and I'm always surprised that even though I may put it away, when I eventually get around to revisiting it, I always manage to find food for thought.

"The Passionate State of Mind" is something that recalls youthful ideals, and the ultimate objective of truth. It's worth a read.

About fifteen years ago I took a copy of this book to work with me for a lunchtime read.
I still keep it here and I'm still absorbing it.

Hoffer profoundly illuminates the failings, foibles, and foolishness of human affairs, sometimes with dark wit and sometimes with pyrotechnics.

In it I always find aphorisms to describe any "workplace situation", and I use them liberally in letters, presentations, discussions and even responses to graffiti. Hoffer's insights have turned around many a situation for me.

The book gave me tremendous personal growth and a career boost as well.

Whether you're an evil HR director, or like myself just a workingman trying to navigate the waters of mid-life, this book will help you.

old jim hardy

Eric Hoffer is a thoughtful author, in the truest sense of the word. In his book, The Passionate State of Mind, Hoffer makes over two hundred deep and powerful statements to ponder and adjust to. I usually find that I read two or three of his aphorisms, put the book down, and spend several days evaluating my life with them. These "truisms" cover what motivates us to do the things we do, how we respond to others, and how to live life without catching on the usual snags. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a breath of fresh air in their thought life.

Eric Hoffer penned this book of aphorisms shortly after "The True Believer," undoubtably his masterpiece study on the psychology of mass movements and those who partake in them. This collection provides a similar challenge to the reader, as it takes poignant stabs into the human mind with Hoffer's trademark detachment.

At many points in reading this book, I had to stop and think about what one sentence had said, how others reflected in its mirror; indeed how I reflected in its mirror. It would take hours or even days before I could crack the book again and move on to the next selection. Many of the aphorisms remain ingrained in my head, and I often browse back through the book to reflect on what is there.

If you enjoyed "The True Believer," I believe you will duly enjoy "The Passionate State of Mind." If you are a lover of psychology/sociology, welcome to one of the classic books(and writers) of the 20th century. If you want a book that allows for intense reflection and self-examination, far more so than the hordes of so-called "self-help" books now available, this book can provide that and more. A great book by an all too forgotten penman.

Witty quotes that make you smile and think. Makes also very nice present for a friend who already has everything.

Very funny....we bought a second copy - one for the coffee table, one for the guest bathroom. Great conversation starter when you have people over.

I love this book! It makes me laugh everytime I pick it up. If you love to laugh buy this book!

I always browse the net for funny quotes, but this book has everything I need in it. There are funny quotes for all types of occasions. I was surprised by some of the quotes because I didn't know that some of these people had it in them to be funny! It is a great compilation!

Pages and pages of crazy funny quotes. You will be shocked when you hear what some of these people said that you would have never imagined had a sense of humor. Tons of quotes loaded into this book, with no anonymous quotes, and tons of different people represented. This is a great book for anyone who has ever had a bad day, and needed a reason to smile. If you enjoy having people over, this is a great attention getter/conversation starter. They will never put it down, it will be a social centerpiece at any future dinner party.

I was so impressed with a newspaper feature on Ralph Keyes's The Quote Verifier that I ordered the book right away. I was not disappointed. There are few books I have ever encountered that are more thoroughly researched -- and so entertaining. The book is either a conversation starter (or spoiler, depending on your audience). Keyes delights in debunking commonly held assumptions about famous quotes, but there's no malice. Just meticulous and entertaining research. He points out the evolution of quotations (often much like the children's game of Telephone). I love how this wonderful reference is organized: alphabetically according to key words, interspersed with special sections on those who are frequently quoted, and a "verdict" at the end of each entry to help the reader reach a decision on a quote's origin or evolution). Thus, a special section on Yogi Berra tracks down a bunch of alleged "Yogi-isms." You might be surprised. I was. Gems abound a nearly every page. And the research is cited in a way that makes it fun to learn the origin of a phrase (or the lack of such knowledge). An example is the famous phrase "Iron Curtain." It is commonly known that Winston Churchill used that phrase in a 1946 sppech about Soviet influence. But Keyes exhaustively points out a whole bunch of similar uses that occurred much earlier. Then he gives a verdict: "Many authors, one key publicist -- Winston Churchill." I loved reading the blurb on the phrase "fifteen minutes of fame" (is it Andy Warhol's? Hey, I don't want to give away the juicy tidbits) and on the phrase "May you live in interesting times" (is it really of Chineses origin?). And so many others. Keyes's book has delighted me so much I recently found it a worthy companion on a long trip. I recommend this book to teachers and professors (even just to educate students in acquiring a healthy skepticism), news reporters and editors, talk show hosts, and anyone interested in history or good conversation. It should be on every library shelf, both public and private.

Two years ago, my co-workers made fun of me because I tried to use the word "eponymous" in a news release. They deleted it, saying that no one knows what that word means anymore. One of the many things I like about Ralph Keyes is that he uses words like "eponymous" -- and he expects that you'll know what it means, too. Keyes' writing will either teach you some really cool words to use at cocktail parties -- or make you wish that you had paid more attention during your 8th-grade vocabulary class.

With Quote Verifier (QV), Keyes has added more fodder to the quote mill, which he kicked off with his Nice Guys Finish Seventh. QV can be read from beginning to end, or it can be read non-linearly as a reference.

Who originally came up with "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."? Kennedy? Which one? Neither, actually. You'll find this under the alphabetical listings under ASK, where you'll find that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said something remarkably similar 80 years before JFK did. There's an entire section (under the "Ks") devoted to the Kennedys, especially John and Robert. Having grown up in Massachusetts, I was often treated to "Kennedyisms." John Kennedy usually cited his sources. Bobby often cited John and Ted credited Bobby.

Also, as a former and unreformed New Englander, I was ecstatic to see that theologian Reinhold Niebuhr was correctly credited for his "Serenity Prayer," as opposed to "anonymous," which I so often see. (Niebuhr's widow lived up the street from me and was the speaker at my high school graduation.) However, "Shays' Rebellion" was spelled "Shay's Rebellion," a mistake commonly made in the Midwest. Daniel Shays hasn't been quoted for saying anything remarkable, or I'm sure Keyes would have gotten his name right.

The book is organized in a very user-friendly manner. The key words in each quote are in all caps and the quotes are listed alphabetically according to the key words. An index in the back directs you to the people who said -- or didn't -- what you're trying to find. Also in the back is a key word index directing you to the quote.

If you sit down and read this book linearly as I did, a few things are bound to happen:

1) You'll hear people cited for things all over the place for things they didn't think up first. Coincidentally, I was reading the section about an army travelling on its stomach when someone made reference to it on television (attributing it incorrectly to Napoleon, as most people do according to Keyes).
2) You'll be afraid to quote anyone for fear of getting it wrong.
3) You'll wonder how long Keyes worked on digging up each quote's source. His sources range from Celestial Seasonings tea boxes and Reader's Digest (which I am going to take with a grain of salt now) to university libraries and tottering biographers of celebrities of centuries past. If someone ever found the ancient libraries of Alexandria, Keyes would be the first in line to check out who really said that an army travels on its stomach. It's kind of scary.

I wouldn't want this to be a library book that I had to return. I would want it on hand, where I could refer to it frequently and react with my notes in the margins. This book would be a good purchase for people who like to use quotes (in speeches, newsletters, classes) and want to be correct. It would make a great reference for any student or writer, as well as anyone who wants to know more about the history of our favorite expressions.

The Quote Verifier is entirely magnificent. Who can resist this book? I can't stop reading it. It's like eating peanuts: once you start you can't stop.

Patrick O'Connor author of DON'T LOOK BACK

I could not have imagined a reference book that reads like a novel. Fortunately, Ralph Keyes could. An exceptional accomplishment.
Layne Longfellow, Ph.D., Author, Longfellow Reads Longfellow

This book does exactly what the title says it does. All those quotes you use from time to time and never know the source are now a thing of the past. I wrote a book once called "The First Casualty", taken from the quote "The first casualty when war comes is truth." I looked it up in this book and there it all was--who said it, where and when and an assessment of the value to place on each attribution. The book is worth every penny you pay for it.