Customer Reviews

The Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time (In Two Lines or Less)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is a great little book to read when you are looking for illumination by humanity's intellects and wags. Shanahan has done a good job of editing these into topical sections. My only complaint with the book is that the editor decides to include a number of his own thoughts among the "Most Brilliant". Now he is a smart man, to be sure, but it is just a little too prideful to include yourself in such a book. His first self quote appears on the very first page of quotes. What his self inclusion does do, however is illustrate the difference between the truly brialliant thoughts and those that aren't. Shanahan's editorial job is delightful, his self promotion to most brilliant embarassing for him at best.

.
.
Summary:

Great book to review each day and contemplate one or two thoughts from some of the world's foremost "thinkers".

The point is to contemplate their thoughts, not to just accept them. Just like reading your daily astrology, some quotes can be so general as to lack basis.

Good reference tool for writers, or leaders who need to quickly and capably convey thoughts, or ideas.

Includes a CD to listen to in the car, etc.

Review:

Shanahan has put together many great one liners into a single volume; about 6 per page.

Contents are logically divided:

Acknowledgments
1.....The Human Condition
2.....Success, Fortune, Failure, and Misfortune
3.....Truth, Lies, and Deception
4.....Talk, Talk, Talk
5.....Passions, Virtues, and Vices
6.....It's Only in Your Mind
7.....Men, Women, and Relationships
8.....Religion, Nature, and God
9.....Life's Passages
10....Human Foibles
11....Pursuits - Artistic and Otherwise
12....History and Government
13....Stuff to Think About
Sources

The "Sources" lists each author alphabetically, with the quote source and quote placement with the page numbers.

Negative:

1.....The CD has no look-up capability, so you can only listen to it linearly, and cannot use it as a search tool.

2.....There is no index, or topical list for searching for quotes using specific words (like searching for "love", "ocean", "heart", etc).

The title alone makes the modest person back up a little and think, "Are you SURE?" And yes, the author considers a few of his own Most Brilliant Thoughts worthy of inclusion. (We blush for him.) I was surprised that the "Reader's Digest" was the source for some of the material, and a few (very few, to be fair) of the brilliant thinkers were Oprah, Erica Jong, and Marlene Dietrich. Delightful ladies all, but Most Brilliant Thinkers of All Time?

I am a junkie for books of quotes and maxims, though I freely admit this shows a certain lack of depth. There are many quotes included that you wish you had for ready reference, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson's

"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character."

My, wouldn't I just like to spring that one on some of my more pessimistic friends! However, unless you memorize the ones you like, "Most Brilliant, etc." is not user-friendly. It has no subject or line index, which I find very irritating and a major drawback.

The sections are vague, and quotes are repeated in different sections. It could be Mr. Shannahan thought one quote applicable to many situations, but it seems like padding. The book is handsome, with the quotes well spaced and easy to read. I met a few I had never seen before, and am stirred to further inquiry on some of the authors. Grade: C-

This is the book you can pick up for a minute or for hours and enjoy over and over again. The quotes are not only witty and fun, they are truly that perfect collection of one liners that say it all. The C.D. is great especially if you are driving and tired of the same old radio play. A gift you'll wish someone would give you!

This book lends the perfect quip for every occasion, from ironic to inspirational. Light reading for times when you want to be amused. I liked it so much I ordered a second copy to give as a gift!

This book lends an array of good quips for every occasion, from ironic to inspirational. It's light reading for times when you want to be amused. The title seems arrogant and a major overstatment, but there are indeed some good quotes to be found here. If you are looking for a truly outstanding collection of quotes, as I was, I suggest you read "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Wisdom" by Taro Gold.

The overstated title sets aphorism afficionados up for disappointment. If the author had simply titled this collection "Personal Favorites," the reader might then have found more than he/she had expected. Shanahan may have made and earned his great success, but what can he have been thinking when he included his own personal sayings among "the most brilliant thoughts of all time"? To borrow from a friend, "one wishes someone else had said it."

As an author I'm always on the lookout for good books to stimulate the mind. I also want to buy books that keep the Godlike side of me guided in separating the issues of right & wrong, responsible vs. reckless, good vs. evil, kind vs. mean and the like.

This book, along with the bonus CD, makes a wonderful addition to any personal development library. It is full of wisdom from the ages and also includes a lot of colorful cultural proverbs which I used often in writing my relationship book.

Anyone who has a problem with this book is precisely the kind of person who needs it the most.

Enlightened people will see the immense value in this book immediately.

The CD also adds tremendous value to the purchase of this book.

This book is a must have for any writer or publisher. Shanahan's arrangement of content makes it a reference tool for any writer that needs quick antecdotes from brilliance to witty. It resides on my book shelf between ROGETS Thesaurus and Webster's Dictionary.

I found it outrageously presumptuous of Mr. Shanahan to immodestly include his own sayings in this book. It is for others, and history, to decide if his bon mots are brilliant, let alone among the most brilliant thoughts of all time. In reading his obviously self-penned biographic blurb, it's apparent to me that Mr. Shanahan has a lot of money and clout, and so was able to push this vanity project through to publication.