Neverisms: A Quotation Lover's Guide to Things You Should Never Do, Never Say, or Never Forget [Hardcover]

Mardy Grothe (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 10, 2011

From Mardy Grothe, the author of Ifferisms,Oxymoronica,and I Never Met a Metaphor IDidn’t Like, comes a new collection of witty and wise quotations about what never to do in life. Remember, “never let the fear of striking out get in your way” (BabeRuth), "never hit anyone if you can help it, but never hit soft"(Theodore Roosevelt); "never be afraid tosit awhile and think" (Lorraine Hansberry); and, of course, neverleave home without the perfect quote for any occasion from Dr. Mardy’s Neverisms.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Never let 'em see you sweat."
"Never change diapers in mid-stream."
"Never let a crisis go to waste."
"Never ruin an apology with an excuse."
"Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died."

When we strongly encourage people to do something, it's called an exhortation. But what is the proper term for strongly discouraging people? One candidate is admonition. Another is dehortation, the opposite of exhortation. But perhaps the best term for an emphatic piece of dissuasive advice is neverism. You won't find the term in any dictionary (at least not yet) because quotation anthologist Dr. Mardy Grothe coined it himself for this collection of nearly two thousand quotable cautionary warnings. With the whimsical and witty intermixed with the serious and profound, contributors range from Aesop and Marcus Aurelius to John Wayne and Mae West. Grothe also tells the fascinating "back stories" of scores of classic quotations as well as the history of hundreds more that have never before appeared in a quotation anthology. Organized by topics such as Wit & Wordplay, Politics & Government, Sports, Stage & Screen, and The Literary Life, this is a book about quotations as well as a book of them. Neverisms is sure to delight quotation lovers and language aficionados everywhere.

About the Author

Dr. Mardy Grothe is a psychologist, management consultant, and public speaker. He is the author of five previous word-and-language books: I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like, Viva la Repartee, Oxymoronica, Ifferisms, and Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You. A lifelong quotation collector, Dr. Mardy—as he is known to his fans around the globe—is routinely described as a "quotation maven" and is well on his way to becoming America's most popular quotation anthologist. He lives with his wife, Katherine Robinson, in North Carolina.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Collins Reference; First Edition edition (May 10, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061970654
• ISBN-13: 978-0061970658
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.3 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Mardy Grothe is a psychologist, management consultant, marriage counselor, and public speaker. He is the author of six "word & language" books: "Ifferisms," "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like," "Viva la Repartee," "Oxymoronica," "Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You," and "Neverisms" (published in May, 2011). A lifelong quotation collector, Dr. Mardy--as he is known to his fans around the globe--is routinely described as a "quotation maven" and is well on his way to becoming America's most popular quotation anthologist. He lives with his wife, Katherine Robinson, in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun book to dip in and out of May 12, 2011

By JudithAnn

Format:Hardcover

This book is full of (what else?) neverisms. Now, if you haven't heard that term before, that is not so strange. The author, Dr. Mardy Grothe invented it. It stands for quotations and sayings that start with the word never (e.g., "Never underestimate the effectiveness of a straight cash bribe" (Claude Cockburn)).

The author spent years gathering neverisms from all kinds of publications, including books, movies, tv programmes and magazine articles.

The neverisms are organised in chapters, such as Sports; Sex, Love, and Romance; "never underestimate" neverisms; Stage and screen, and more. There is also an author index so you can easily check which neverisms your favorite politician or movie star has uttered in his life.

This is a dip-in/dip-out book. Read a little here, put the book away, and read a little bit more later. It's more than just a reference book, there is enough to keep you entertained for a chapter or so. But reading the whole book from front to back is a bit tedious. Well, with hundreds of neverisms, your mind would start to spin!

So, a great coffee table book. It's smaller than a standard book and makes a lovely present for a language nerd, too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Feast for Word Lovers May 18, 2011

By Bob Kelly

Format:Hardcover

Dr. Mardy Grothe, Quotemeister Extraordinaire, has done it again. In "Neverisms," his sixth anthology of quotations, he has served up an exquisite array of delicious and well chosen word portions, garnished, embellished and presented with an array of appetizers and desserts to satisfy the most discerning quote palate.
Like Dr. Mardy's other books, "Neverisms" is much more than a collection of quotations. What makes his books especially delightful to read are the anecdotes, stories and illustrations which accompany them.
In "Neverisms," he begins with what, for this reviewer, and certainly others, is a new word. No, not the one in the title, although that is his very own creation. This word is "dehortation," which, he quickly explains, "is the antonym of exhortation."
You'll find a broad selection of courses, 18 menus (chapters) in all, each featuring its own main course, where you'll be delightfully dehorted - again - and again - and again.
But let me warn you. There is far more in "Neverisms" than even the most dedicated quotation lover could possibly consume in less than a month or so, certainly not in one sitting.
As a serious collector of quotations myself (hundreds of volumes in my library), I tip my hat to Mardy whenever his newest book is released. My reaction is always the same: "I wish I'd done that!" Almost certainly, you'll find yourself wondering what might this quote master, maven and mensh be conjuring up for next time around. It's bound to be a treat.
And to you, dear reader, Bon appétit! You'll find many a succulent morsel awaiting you in "Neverisms."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Never Pass Up A Chance To Read A Dr. Mardy Book! August 12, 2011

By Lorrett

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Once again, Dr Mardy Grothe has struck gold with this collection of quotations, all beginning with "Never".

Several years ago, a friend introduced me to Dr. Mardy's weekly newsletter, and it quickly became my favorite weekend treat. I looked forward to adding quotable people and their quotations to my collection, many discovered for the first time. I was amazed at the outpouring of goodies, selected by perhaps the most widely-read person I've ever encountered, and presented in an easy, entertaining style.

They say one drug leads to another, and words are a powerful drug. Sure enough, I wound up buying his first book ("Ifferisms", I believe -- all kinds of great comments beginning with "If"). This led to "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like," "Viva la Repartee," "Oxymoronica," "Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You," and now (perhaps because the "Never" inspired him to think of just how many "never" warnings our species has ignored in its checkered history), this delicious book.

I'm not going to give out any spoilers. "Neverisms" is like a bowl of pretzels -- each morsel is tasty, and you can nibble as many or as few as you wish, one at a time or by the handful. I guarantee that when you're done, you'll be headed back to the 'net to buy your next "fix"!

A word of warning, though. Remember that potato chip ad, "Betcha' can't eat just one"? Read this book and you'll be buying copies for your brother-in-law, your boss, the gal across the street, maybe even your local library. Christmas is coming, and that makes it even more certain that you'll wind up having to go to Book Lovers Anonymous meetings to break the habit. Ask me how I know.