Search -
20,000 Quips & Quotes: A Treasury of Witty Remarks, Comic Proverbs, Wisecracks, and Epigrams
20000 Quips Quotes A Treasury of Witty Remarks Comic Proverbs Wisecracks and Epigrams Author:Evan Esar 20,000Quips & Quotes covers 2,000 subjects, ranging from Abandoned to Zoo, and is an ideal reference for speakers, writers, politicians, performers, and salespeople. But more than that, this book-- with its bits and tidbits of truth, with its epigrams that not only make a point but make a point... more » to ponder - - is a barometer of the human psyche. For mirrored in the sayings, comments, remarks, witticisms, wisecracks, and comic proverbs collected here are the contemporary prejudices of the public. Just a flip through the volume's pages will reveal what the community at large really thinks about traditional values (exaggerated, naturally, to sharpen the cutting edge of truth) and how it feels about the widespread changes that are constantly replacing older ways of living.
The creators and collectors of wise and witty sayings go back thousands of years to the biblical times of Solomon and come forward in history to include some of civilization's most influential and profound writers - - Aristotle, Cicero, Erasmus, Thomas More, Shakespeare, and Cervantes among them. And as Evan Esar says in the Forward to his 20,000Quips & Quotes, "I have tried to make this collection not too unworthy of such a past, to lace this volume of many sentences with many sentences that speak volumes."
Indeed, not one of the book's eminently quotable quotes for all occasions is more than one sentence long, making this the perfect source for those mavens of wisdom and wit who know that "Next to being witty yourself, the best thing is being able to quote another's wit." And the perfect quote is easy to find, since the collection is arranged alphabetically under 2,000 categories, indexed by author and subject.
The book includes credited quotations from celebrities throughout history, journalists, and Nobel laureates, as well as anonymous clips culled from weekly newspapers, and uncredited sayings - - which are some of the books finest items - - that come from the pen of Mr. Esar himself, comedy writer and author of the nationally syndicated column "Wit and Wisdom."« less