The Essence of Wisdom [Paperback]

Stephen Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1999

A renowned writer and translator presents an anthology of essential quotations from the masters of spiritual wisdom.

The most powerful messages are the simplest ones. With that in mind, Stephen Mitchell has selected one hundred illuminating sayings from the great Eastern and Western literary and spiritual traditions. Ranging in length from one sentence to a dozen lines, the brief passages in The Essence of Wisdom convey the life-transforming insights of the Buddha, Lao-tzu, Heraclitus, the Zen and Sufi masters, Spinoza, Blake, Emerson, Rilke, and other sages.

The book is arranged to follow the course of the inner life from its beginning to the fullest embodiment of wisdom. Each quotation stands alone on the page. Each is a meditation in itself, meant not only to be read, but to be absorbed and reflected upon. This remarkable book gathers the words of the world's deepest thinkers and spiritual teachers, and speaks to us in the clear voice of enlightenment.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Stephen Mitchell:

Meetings With The Archangel:
"An absolutely incredible piece of writing: extremely witty, profound, erotic, and deeply satisfying in many ways."
--Erica Jong

The Gospel According To Jesus:

"A bottomless text, so large-hearted that it can cause one to gasp with wonder and relief."
--Gail Caldwell, Boston Sunday Globe

Tao Te Ching:

"Stephen Mitchell's rendition comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine."
--Huston Smith

The Book Of Job:

"Enthralling."
--George Steiner, The New Yorker


From the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

Praise for Stephen Mitchell:

Meetings With The Archangel:
"An absolutely incredible piece of writing: extremely witty, profound, erotic, and deeply satisfying in many ways."
--Erica Jong

The Gospel According To Jesus:

"A bottomless text, so large-hearted that it can cause one to gasp with wonder and relief."
--Gail Caldwell, Boston Sunday Globe

Tao Te Ching:

"Stephen Mitchell's rendition comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine."
--Huston Smith

The Book Of Job:

"Enthralling."
--George Steiner, The New Yorker --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (October 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767903064
• ISBN-13: 978-0767903066
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Mitchell was born in Brooklyn in 1943, educated at Amherst, the Sorbonne, and Yale, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. His many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, The Gospel According to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Job, Meetings with the Archangel, Gilgamesh, and the forthcoming The Second Book of the Tao. When he is not writing, he likes to ' in no particular order ' think about writing, think about not writing, not think about writing, and not think about not writing. His favorite color is blue, which happens to be the color of his wife's eyes. You can read extensive excerpts from all his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book of spiritual riches meant to be savored, September 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essence of Wisdom (Hardcover)

This lovely short volume contains nuggets of wisdom each of which could provide a day's worth of contemplation.Many of the sources come from non-western sages and mystics.There are many books of wise quotes out there but few as profound and beautiful as this carefully selected volume of mystical profundity.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Donate your money to the "author!", March 6, 2004

By 

James Grob - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essence of Wisdom (Paperback)

I like Stephen Mitchells REAL books very much !

Unfortunately this is NOT a real book. It is mostly blank space
with one quotation per page -- most of which are very, very brief.

Many of the quotations are just fine, others seem to have been chosen because they sound wise (but, in fact are not).

Spend your money on a nicely bound blank notebook and start copying down the best of the truly wise statements you find in your own reading. You will end up with a much more substantial and substantive collection than Mitchell has provided. He could easily have assembled this "book" in one or two hours.

For those who never read well-known authors from the various wisdom traditions, then this tiny pamphlet might be a modest start. Other than that it seems mainly to be a way for Stephen Mitchell to increase his income with no effort whatever.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Collection, September 7, 2003

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essence of Wisdom (Paperback)

I'm a huge fan of Stephen Mitchel, ever since reading his translation of the Tao de Ching when I was in college. This is a wonderful collection of poems and thought provoking quokes from all the greats, cutting across all religions and cultures. Here's one of the last ones: The place is here; the way leads everywhere (Dogen). From the introduction I think the collection progresses from more simple to more complex. They're all terrific!