Quotations Books

This little jewel of a book is one of the handiest that I have in a massive collection of volumes. I never know when I'll want to emphasize a point with a quote by someone wiser than I, and this is where to go to get it.

The emphasis is on books and writing in more than 400 quotations that range from opinions to confessions by generations of writers -- most of them worthy of serious contemplation by the reader.

Consider what Winston S. Churchill said about books, for example: "If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them -- peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; let them at any rate be your acquaintances."

"The art of reading," wrote Andre Maurois, "is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one's encounter with it in a book."

This is a spectacular little volume. If you don't have a copy, track one down and pay dearly for it if you must. It's worth it.

Most quotation anthologies are ponderous tomes containing those words of wisdom we sometimes need to spice up a dull speech. This book is different. It's a great collection of brief quotes by writers about writing, directed at fellow writers -- and anyone else who reads. The illustrations are taken from old woodcuts and engravings, giving the little 142-page volume a satirically antique look, while the quotes themselves come from hundreds of famous writers, both classical and contemporary. They (the quotes, and maybe the writers, too, for all I know) range from inspiring to cynical to downright absurd, but all of them will ring familiar to anybody who writes. Some favorites:

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket" - Chinese proverb

"Books are a medium because they are neither rare nor well done" -- Gore Vidal

"From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it" -- Groucho Marx, on S.J. Perleman's first book

"The only reason I didn't kill myself after I read the reviews of my first book was because we have two rivers in New York and I couldn't decide which one to jump into" -- Wilfrid Sheed

"The didn't want it good, they wanted it Wednesday" -- Robert Heinlein

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit" -- Richard Bach

"All my major works have been written in prison... I would recommend prison not only to aspiring writers but to aspiring politicians, too" -- Jawaharlal Nehru

"When I am dead, I hope it may be said: His sins were scarlet but his books were read" -- Hilaire Belloc

And so on. I keep this book on my desk for those frustrating moments (minutes, hours, days, weeks....) when I find myself staring blankly at my keyboard. Leafing through this book tickles my funnybone and reminds me that others before me have faced the same frustrations. That keeps me going on my own work-in-progess because, as the Bible itself says, "Of making books there is no end." (Ecclesiastes 12:12)

Having a bad day? Party conversation in need of repair? Just want a good laugh? This book is good for all that and more. Read about the humorous blunders of entertainers, politicians, and atheletes.

I read the first book, and think this one is equally great, if not better. It was a blast to read about all the silly things the author put in the book. Very fun. I've even used some of the examples as ice-breakers at big corporate meeings, with much success. Kudos to the author. Keep it up!!!

Bought for a gift for a friend of mine. It is just what he wanted.

Have you ever wondered how it would be like to be living a life like a famous baseball player? The title of this book is Yogi: It Ain't Over by Yogi Berra and Tom Horton. This book is about Yogi Berra's life and what happened during his baseball career.

The main character is Yogi Berra. This book mainly takes place in New York. It takes place in New York because that is where Yogi spent most of his time as a baseball player.

Yogi: It Ain't Over is about one of the greatest baseball players in Major Legue Baseball. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra was a catcher from the New York Yankees and he was a good catcher. Being a good catcher didn't allow him to be a good baseball player, he also could hit. He also was elected American League (AL) MVP three times, in 1951, 1954, and 1955. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1972. After he was dismissed by the Yankees he became the manager of the Yankees, then the Mets, and back to the Yankees. Before all of that happened he joined the navy and fought in World War II. The whole title of the book is Yogi: It Ain't Over Till It's Over. Yogi has a wife named Carmen and three sons: Dale, Larry, and Timmy.

This book is a good book. This book inspired me to play my best in baseball because Yogi Berra played in the MLB and was an 8th grade dropout. I'm not saying I want to be a high school dropout and try for the majors. I'm saying that I want to try to make it into the AAA division in the minor leagues or even better the major league and I only started to play baseball in 6th grade. I would recommend this book to people that would like to know about old baseball players and to people that like sports and auto-biographies.

Anytime I'm walking around in an unhappy fog I take out this book & re-read it's great sayings. They are so spot on. A+ to the author.

This book is awesome! I bought it years ago at some bookstore for like $5 or something equally minimal. It has a cheerful cover and makes a great conversation piece. I am in sales so anything to help cheer me up always helps!

There are a lot of excellent quotes which give perspective on life situations and help to see the positive side of things.

Great book for a gift or as a quick reference.

The night before I found this book I had a dream about it... A mentor of mine who died two years before was in the dream and he showed it to me and I think he said to read it or he had read it... The next day I saw it at a half price book store... It caught my eye because the cover was the same as in the dream.. When I read the introduction it said this was the same book Zen monks must memorize and always have a copy of in their pocket... Upon reading the book I thought it was excellent..!! I forgot all about why I picked it up... I think I must have read it three times... Like a block head I traded it in at a used book store for beer money and thought it would be easy to find somewhere else... Now it's out of print... and I'm still looking for it...sigh..

I stumbled upon this book, in a japanese bookstore in N.Y., several years ago. Only now, that the common mortal cannot buy it, I fully realize how lucky and well directed my compulsion to buy books was, in that instance. An excellent travelling companion, this anthology of japanese folk zen sayings has never let me down, in times of trouble, sorrow and joy.
This is an outstanding compilation, by Zen scholar Soiku Shigematsu, of japanese tanka (five lines), haiku (three)and dodoitsu (four) mostly from the Zenrin Segoshu, a handbook compiled in japanese by Zen masters to meet the demands of those Zen students that found the Zenrin Kushu difficult to read, because it was written in Chinese. It must be remembered that the classical study of koan in the Renzai Zen monasteries required students to dwell in jakugo or capping phrase exercises. Once the first phase of the koan analysis is over, the student must pick a capping phrase from thousands of poems in a special anthology (the only book allowed in the meditation hall), that best expresses the mental and physical state reached by him through meditation. This exercise
of course leads to the study of all the poems in the anthology and therefore expands the students knowledge and understanding of the Zen culture and classic texts.
In order to give an idea of the poems that this book contains and to promote a new printing of it, here are some of the jewels from this paper box:

There seems,
But there's never:
Moon in the water.
-------------
"There is", someone says,
And we stick to that "there is."
See there's nothing-
Only the sound
Of the pine wind from the beach.
---------------
Since legendary times,
Nothing has changed:
Running water and the love
Between woman and man.
-------------
In the dark
I lost sight of
My shadow;
I've found it again
By the fire I lit.
--------
Little clear streams rustle
Down through the mountain rocks
And finally let the battleship
Float on the sea.

THIS BOOK MUST BE REPRINTED FOR THE DELIGHT OF COMMON FOLKS AND POETRY FANS.

Very good book. Gives lots of basic info on many topics in yoga. Good, quick reminder of topics for yoga instructors.

This book consists of 100 short, two-page chapters, each featuring a prominent person and the Bible verse that changed his/her life. The book is in chronological order - the first chapter is about Paul the Apostle and the last is Joni Eareckson Tada. Not all the people in this book are theologians (indeed not all of them are good examples, as the disclaimer at the beginning of the book explains. There are explorers, scientists, rulers of countries, authors, and inventors.

Use this book as a devotional, reading one chapter per day. You might want to look up that Bible verse and read the chapter of the Bible that contains it. Do a study of that verse using other books (see my other reviews and Listmania lists for more books about the Bible). Look up that verse in another devotional's Scripture Index.

This book is also a great introduction to 100 famous people. The chapters give you some background information and make you hungry for more information about them. This book can be a springboard for lifelong learning! Certain people will intrigue you and you can do further reading on those individuals.

Books like this one with short snippets are most easily used when they have good indices. There are many good devotional books without a Scripture Index! This one has both a Scripture Index and a Person Index. Want to know whose life John 3:16 changed for instance? Dwight L Moody! What was Martin Luther's favorite? Romans 1:17 "The just shall live by faith." And since the book is laid out chronologically, you can search for someone by the time during which they lived.

The father/son writing team that put this book together has written many other great books - both together and separately. Recent ones that are especially good are 100 Christian Books that Changed the Century, The One Year Book of Psalms, and The Family Book of Bible Fun.

These books provide endless hours of enjoyable reading and spiritual growth. Put this book on your coffee table and you'll find that people will be intrigued and pick it up. This would make a great gift as well!

Please check out my reviews of Christian books and music!

Take the time to read this book! You will begin to make positive changes
in your life from the inside out!

In a world filled with a plethora of devotional resources, this has proved to be an excellent devotional written with men in mind. Right on target! It's a key component of our ministry to men.

I just love this book! I try to get my day started with reading some of God's word, and with four kids this makes it easy to accomplish. I usually don't care for devotionals, because they tend to put very little focus on the scripture, but this one is great in the way it expounds on God's word and brings out practical ways to apply it to our lives. I've gone through it once all the way through, and now I'm going through it again.