Product Description

You don't have to be a genius to sound like one. Here's a collection of the most profound and provocative wit and wisdom in the English language in two lines or less. Edited by entrepreneur John M. Shanahan, who created the wildly successful Hooked on Phonics program, this wonderful book presents the best that has been thought and said on every imaginable topic.

Classified by such themes as "Truth, Lies, and Deception," "Men, Women, and Relationships," and "Passions, Virtues, and Vices," these quotes contain timeless messages for all humankind. Oscar Wilde: "A man who marries his mistress leaves a vacancy in that position." Charles de Gaulle: "The cemetery is filled with indispensable men." Abraham Lincoln: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Sophocles: "Men of ill judgment oft ignore the good that lies within their hands, till they have lost it."

Perfect for anyone who has ever been left speechless, this book will make you as glib as Oscar Wilde, as profound as Winston Churchill, and as wise as Aesop. Inspirational, entertaining, and thought-provoking, this is one collection that no library or bookshelf should be without.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40973 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-01
• Released on: 1999-05-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

About the Author
John M. Shanahan is a true Renaissance man. He is the creator of the nationally acclaimed reading program Hooked on Phonics, and original syndicator of the number one talk radio show in America. This highly successful entrepreneur is also an accomplished composer, gourmet chef, and collector of antique automobiles and historic documents. John and his wife, Alice, have three grown children Julie, John, and Sean.

Excerpted from The Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time : (In Two Lines or Less) by John M. Shanahan. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved

Chapter One Excerpts

Wit makes its own welcome and levels all distinctions. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882

He who is most creative conceals his sources the best. -- Anonymous

We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know because they have never deceived us. -- Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784

The graveyards are full of indispensable men. -- Charles de Gaulle, 1890-1970

To think is to say no. -- Linde Auguste Chartier, 1868-1951

When we ask advice we are usually looking for an accomplice. -- Charles Varlet Marquis de La Grange, 1639-1692

If you don't bring Paris with you, you won't find it there. -- John M. Shanahan, 1939--

Clever liars give details, but the cleverest don't -- Anonymous

The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting. -- Fran Lebowitz, 1950--

Nobody forgets where he buried the hatchet. -- rank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard, 1868-1930

It is a golden rule not to judge men by their opinions but rather by what their opinions make of them. -- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, 1742-1799

Have a care, therefore, where there is more sail than ballast. -- William Penn, 1644-1718

Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them. -- Suzanne Necker, 1739-1794

The wicked are always surprised to find that the good can be clever. -- Luc de Clapiers de Vauvenargues, 1715-1747

Our years, our debts, and our enemies are always more numerous than we imagine. -- Charles Nodier, 1780-1844

Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him. -- Aldous Leonard Huxley 1894-1963

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. -- Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983

Only dead fish swim with the stream. -- Anonymous

All the people like us are We, and everyone else is They. -- Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936

When the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something. -- Robert Browning, 1812-1889

When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet deep down in his heart no man much respects himself -- Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens], 1835-1910

Customer Reviews

short review of the book
perhaps the most enlightening book of my life, you really feel as though 100's of years of human experience, knowledge and intellect have been on nearly every occasion condensed down to 2 lines or less, a completely certain must read for anybody who has every had a thought........?!?!?!?!?!

You've got to be kidding!
If this editor really thinks these are the most brilliant thoughts of all time, he needs to get out more. A few gems, but mostly tired truisms from the 1900's and before. Nothing much new. I found this book disappointing and boring, which is unfortunate, since it includes a CD with all of the content included. But here is some good news; if you are looking for something similar that will really inspire and entertain you a far better choice is-
"A Dancing Star: Inspirations to Guide and Heala wonderful book that was given to me by a friend 10 years ago when I became ill with a chronic disease. I still read it all the time.

I have two copies - i can't be without it!
This is an amazing quote book. I manage a large office of creative staff and I
also attend many business functions where I am often called upon to make
speeches. I use the quotes in this book when communicating with my staff and
colleagues. I like to throw in a few quotes from Mr. Shanahan's book, it never
lets me down when I need to make a point subtly and eloquently.

I find a great way to start the business day on a positive note is to
open up The Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time' (in Two Lines or Less) and
read a relevant quote to my team.

I have a copy at my office and another at home.