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Advanced Banter: The Qi Book Of Quotations (2008)

by Stephen Fry(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0571233724 (ISBN13: 9780571233724)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Faber & Faber

review 1: What exactly can you say about a book filled with quotations. It is very extensive, and actually took a lot longer to read than I thought. I figured it is just a bunch of quotes, read them and move on, but no, it did take awhile to read them all. This is not a bad thing, it is a thick book and a lot of categories to cover. Aside from it just being a big book the quotes included were quite interesting. Topics range from Art to Hope, to Potatoes to War. There are quotes from a range of people whether they are musicians, world leaders, painters, a bunch of people who I have never heard of and the usual proverbs as well.It is a good book because you now have a go to place for quotes about everything, there weren't as many about reading as I liked, far out numbered by less enth... moreusiastic things like mathematics, but that is a personal preference. There was a great quote I found in there about quotes itself from Hesketh Pearson, it said "Misquotation is, in fact, the pride and privilege of the learned. A widely read man never quotes accurately, for the rather obvious reason that he has read too widely" . And despite my great temptation to actually misquote that, I thought there is plenty of time to do that later and that I should actually double check what was actually said.Another one that made me smile was under Ideas. Isaac Bashevis Singer said 'No man can describe how an idea comes to him', and in true QI fashion the one directly beneath it says 'Ideas come from space' by Thomas Edison. That made me smile.Yet again another great QI book with a great prologue, proverb and preamble by Mr Fry, Mr Davies and Mr Lloyd respectively. This is less about facts and more giving you an outlook on all the subjects from multiple perspectives. Rather interesting in itself, especially the final page. And don't go skipping straight there, it only works once you have read the other 372 pages.
review 2: It is in the whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and our wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn. M. Scott PeckWhen you worry, you go over the same ground endlessly and come out the same place you started. Thinking make progress from one place to another; worry remains static. The problem of life is to change worry into thinking and anxiety into creative action. Harold B WalkerLife is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived. Thomas MertonA man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself; indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself. George Bernard ShawProverbs are short sentences drawn from long experience. Miguel De CervantesQuality means doing it right when no one is looking. Henry FordIt is not the answer that enlightens, but the question. Eugene IonescoYou can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. Naguib MahfouzThe best thing one can do when it's raining is to let is rain. Henry Wadsworth LongfellowAlways read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. PJ O'RourkeWe are all captives of the picture in our head - our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists.Reason is the shepherd trying to corral life's vast flock of wild irrationalities. Paul EldridgePut you hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity. Albert EinsteinI care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. Abe LincolnTrue religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess. Louis NizerWhen you go out to seek revenge, dig two graves. Chinese ProverbTo refrain from imitation is the best revenge. Marcus AureliusThere is no revenge so complete as forgiveness. Josh BillingsThere is the risk you cannot afford to take; there is the risk you cannot afford not to take. Peter DruckerWhat you risk reveals what you value. Jeanette WintersonWhy not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is. Will RogersFour Rules for Life. Show up. Pay attention. Tell the truth. DOn't be attached to the results. Angeles ArrienWe don't see things as they are. We see things as we are. Herb CohenI shut my eyes in order to see. Paul GauguinThe greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion on in one. John RuskinThe fool sees not the same tree the wise man sees. William BlakeIt is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. Helen KellerThe whole object of comedy is to be yourself, and the closer you get to that, the funnier you will be. Jerry SeinfeldI have had more trouble with myself than with any other man. Dwight L MoodyWho in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle. Lewis CarrollFinding out who you are is the first step. Accepting who you are can be the hard part. Enhancing who you are is the fun part. B'Anne YounkerThe unexamined life is not worth living. SocratesHe who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise. LaoziHe who lives in harmony with himself, lives in harmony with the Universe. Marcus AureliusYou know "that look" women get when they want sex? Me neither. Steve MartinThere are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes Benz 500 SL. Lynn LavnerThe big differences between sex for money and sex for free is sex for money usually costs a lot less. Brendan BehanAnd what is the Scientific Community doing about these problems, young people? They're cloning sheep. Great! Just what we need! Sheep that look more alike than they already do. Thanks a lot, Scientific Community! Dave BarryThe Arctic expresses the sum of all wisdom: silence. Walter BauerAbove all, keep it simple. Auguste EscoffierSimplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo DaVinciThe trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple. Doris Janzen LangacreThe Seven Deadly Sins are: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Business without morality, Science without humanity. Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principle. GandhiEverything that used to be sin is now a disease. Bill MaherIf you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito. Betty ReeseEnjoy the little things, for one day yu may look back and realize there were the big things. Robert BraultWorry gives a small thing a big shadow. Swedish ProverbI cannot smell mothballs because it's so difficult to get their little legs apart. Steve MartinOur language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone. Paul TillichBe sincere; be brief; be seated. Franklin D RooseveltThe secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then have the two as close together as possible. George BurnsThere is more to life than increasing its speed. GandhiDon't look for speed in a cheap horse; be content if it neighs. Hausa ProverbPeople forget how fast you did a job, but they remember how well you did it. General George S PattonBe not afraid of going slowly but only afraid of standing still. Chinese ProverbSet your course by the stars, not be the lights of every passing ship. Gen. Omar BradleyWhen it is darkest, men see the stars. Ralph Waldo EmersonEverything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. Barry LopezSUccess is 99% failure. Soichiro HondaSuccess is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Winston ChurchillThe higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of its behind. Gen Joseph StilwellIt is only at the tree loaded with fruit that people throw stones. French ProverbSuccess is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. Gen George S PattonOnly through suffering can we find ourselves. Fyodor DostoevskyI know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much. Mother TeresaIn spite of all one hears to the contrary, the act of suicide requires a certain courage of conviction or despair of which few persons are capable. Pearl BuckDepend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember: it didn't work for the rabbit. RE ShayThe wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more. Ralph Waldo EmersonFor in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold or silver. Martin LutherTrees are much like human beings and enjoy each other's company. Only a few love to be alone. Jens JensenThe tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way. As a man is, so he sees. William BlakeThe best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now. Chinese ProverbThe creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn. Ralph Waldo EmersonThe axe forgets what the tree remembers. American ProverbNo tree falls on the first stroke. German ProverbWhen the axe came into the forest the trees all said, Well, at least the handle is one of us." Turkish ProverbSuburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names streets after them. Bill VaughanI love trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do. Willa CatherEverything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. Carl JungSearch others for their virtue, and yourself for your vices. Buckminster FullerI have found that the best way to get another to acquire a virtue, is to impute it to him. Winston ChurchillWealthy is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become. Arthur SchopenhauerI will tell you the secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when others are greedy. Warren BuffetTo suppose, as we all suppose, that we could be rich and not behave as the rich behave, is like supposing that we could drink all day and keep absolutely sober. Logan Pearsall SmithThere is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Sir Ranulph FiennesDon't knock the weather; 9/10 of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. Frank 'Kin' HubbardWhat is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. Ralph Waldo EmersonWhen everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. Henry FordKites rise highest against the wind, not with it. Winston ChurchillPeople are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. Elizabeth Kubler-RossWine is bottled poetry. Robert Louis StevensonThose who love wisdom must investigate many things HeraclitusWisdom comes by disillusionment. Gearge SantayanaTrue wisdom is less preseuming than folly. The wise man doubteht often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance. AkhenatenWe don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us. Marcel ProustKnowledge is proud that he has learned so much, wisdom is humble that he knows no more. William CowperIt's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say, and then don't say it. Sam LevensonKeep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which doesn't not bow before children. Kahlil GibranA woman is like a tea bag. It's only when she's in hot water that you realize how strong she is. Nancy ReaganOne can, to an almost laughable degree, infer what a man's wife is like from his opinions about women in general. John Stuart MillNo man who is concerned in doing a very difficult thing, and doing it well, ever loses his self-respect. George Bernard ShawHow vain it is to sit down to write, when you have not stood up to live! Henry David ThoreauThe best kind of writing, and the biggest thrill in writing, is to suddenly read a line from your typewriter that you didn't know was in you. Larry L KingWhen we encounter a natural style we are always surprised and delighted, for we thought to see an author and found a man. Blaise Pascal less

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