The World in a Phrase: A History of Aphorisms

by James Geary (Author)

17 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1582346168

ISBN-10: 158234616X

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For lovers of words and seekers of wisdom, a lively history of aphorisms--the oldest written art form--and the intriguing people who have penned them, from the Buddha to Emily Dickinson.

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Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 17, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 158234616X
ISBN-13: 978-1582346168
Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #294 in Books > Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Vocabulary, Slang & Word Lists > Word Lists
- #719 in Books > Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Etymology
- #5962 in Books > Textbooks > Reference

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Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

5 star		64%
4 star		6%
3 star		12%
2 star		12%
1 star		6%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

Wonderful!

By angela bardoe on March 15, 2006

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

This book was amazing! Not only did it include quirky, enlightening, and thought-prokoking aphorisms, but it also gave a background about the writer of the aphorisms too. needless to say, this has sent me on numerous tangents wanting to learn more. I have bought four or five other books since based on what I read here. I'm sure I will be reading this one over and over again. Couldn't reccommend it enough.

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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

Writing Your Own Bible

By Sejanus on April 19, 2006

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

James Geary explores the history and development of aphoristic expression in this useful little book, and he does so by both entertaining and informing in the way aphorisms do. His last chapter is about the Jefferson Bible, and it sums up his project very nicely. As Geary concludes in the end, "aphorisms are the elixir of life," for only they "tell it like it really is." So reading Geary's book can be like walking through a minefield populated with the most exquisite fauna, a bracing and hazardous experience that is also filled with wonder. Those who live in the warm embrace of received wisdom, and who comfort themselves with rosey reliance on conformity in thought and deed, will not enjoy this journey. But as the book points out in quoting Jenny Holzer, "playing it safe can cause a lot of damage in the long run." Reading this book now after having read many of the authors Geary surveys, and having learned to my delight of those unknown to me, I was encouraged to press on in my own way of thinking, to stop doubting myself. There is not a self-help book in the world that will bully you into your sense the way Nietzsche or Chamfort can with an absolute economy of words. Geary's book was such a breath of fresh air, especially in this age of spin and lies, because he brings the reader face to face with those who spoke directly without apology about the truth of the human condition.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

For the love of Aphorisms

By Shalom Freedman HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWER on December 18, 2005

Format: Hardcover

I understand Mr. Geary well, for I have also loved and cherished Aphorisms from my childhood.
The idea of finding 'wisdom' and 'insight into life' in one brief memorable sentence has long been part of my reading and thinking.
I do not know however, if I would , exactly accept his definition of the Aphorism as it seems to me that there are 'Aphorisms' which do not require some kind of 'twist' or ' surprise' but simply by their profundity overwhelm and reverberate in our consciousness.
Consider Pascal's " The silence of these infinite spaces casts me into dread" or Wittgenstein's " Of that which we cannot speak, we must be silent".
And as I say this I wonder if I am not perhaps going beyond the bounds of the 'Aphorism' and simply assuming that it contains 'all memorable statements'.
In any case there is much to be learned and enjoyed in this historical excursion into one of Literature and Life's most delightful forms.

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21 of 26 people found the following review helpful

Wisdom in small doses...

By J. M. Hannam on January 26, 2006

Format: Hardcover

I tend to avoid cliches like the plague. I find them to be hypocritical, seldom usefull, and stereotypcial. Cliches are over utilized today in society for many reasons. One; most people are too lazy to read, and two; few care about expanding their palette of knowledge.

My faith in the wisdom of succint phrases had nearly fizzled out until my eyes beheld James Geary's work of genius. The book commences with a short biographical sketch of Geary's interest in aphorisms and proceeds to define what exactly an aphorism is.

He then designs the book chronologically. So as one reads the book they are traveling through an aphorism timeline. Geary first outlines the great sage aphorists, beginning with Lao-tzu, Budda, up too Muhammad.

The book continues through time briefly outlining the various aphorists up to present day. Geary provides the reader with a biographical taste of the various aphorists and leaves you hungering for more. The World in a Phrase is a quick read packed with nuggets of wisdom one can use over and over again.

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

Aphorisms belong to everybody

By J. Guild on January 6, 2006

Format: Hardcover

What a gem of a book this is.I have enjoyed and in a rather loose fashion,collected them for as long as I remember hearing them as a child.I often wonder who made them up in the first place;a wonderment which only becomes greater with time.I don't remember what was the first one I ever heard ;maybe my Mom telling me that "If you're going to tell lies you'll need an awfully good memory.",or my Dad saying "Haste makes waste".It seems some are forgotten while others stick like glue.

Geary makes a noble attempt to put order and reason into this great use of language.Aphorisms are used by all cultures, in all fields of endeavors,all levels of education;it doesn't matter where you go, you'll find them.The author leans in his discussions to the great leaders,thinkers and writers of history but Aphorisms are as much the property of the most common and uneducated of people as they are of the famous.One of the common elements of them is that of wisdom and that can be found in all walks of life.

The author has been a long time fan of them and even tried his hand at composing them.He gives us a sample of his attempts;

"Not too many people live in the desert."

"Sometimes,two goldfish in a bowl are enough."

He tells us one of his all time favorites is;

"I have often been forced on my knees by the overwhelming conviction that there is no place else to go"-Abraham Lincoln

Then there's one that he thinks about every day;

"The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth."

He attempts to write the 5 Laws of Aphorisms;

1 It must be brief.

2 It must be definitive,it must proclaim rather than argue

ie,"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel".Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Four Stars

A great read-inspiring and insightful.

Published 9 months ago by Outtama Tulachanh

Wow!

It's exciting to own an altar. This book contains more knowledge than the library of Alexandria and library of congress combined.

Published 15 months ago by VanBabbler

A funny, interesting book.

This is the first of Geary's two books on aphorisms. It is funny and just about right with more interesting information, in my opinion, than Geary's guide and with better... Read more

Published 19 months ago by tom

A joy to read

I think "Guide to the World's Great Aphorists" might be a bit better than "The world in a phrase", but it is still very entertaining and James Geary is a very... Read more

Published on February 22, 2013 by Jerry Sollien

Not So Much a History of Aphorisms as the Author's Manifesto

I was rather hoping for a history of aphorisms. What we are treated to instead is a brief biography of each of the author's favorite thinkers, some of whom are actually aphorists,... Read more

Published on February 8, 2013 by Alex Riggle

I simply loved this book!

I picked this little gem up off the discount rack of a local bookstore, after glancing inside to make sure I knew what an aphorism is. Read more

Published on November 13, 2011 by Barbara Badham

Place this on the Reference Shelf

1) I bought this book to learn about Aphorism's

2) I started to read it and found that I wanted to just skim it for the neat Aphorism's

3) After skimming I... Read more

Published on February 18, 2011 by J. Larson

All breadth and no depth

The author introduces us to one aphorist after another and teases with just the lightest sample from each. Read more

Published on September 13, 2009 by J. Sweeney

Nicely done book

Geary takes the reader through an interesting tour of the lives and times of some of the worlds great aphorists. This isn't the typical compilation of aphorisms. Read more

Published on August 18, 2009 by R. Russell

Not about writing.

I purchased this book to learn more about aphorisms - examples, insights, understanding. I hoped to be entertained with numerous gems written by insightful people. Read more

Published on September 13, 2007 by Byron Furseth