The Essence of Wisdom (Paperback)

by Stephen Mitchell (Author) "In the struggle between yourself and the world, second the world..." (more)
Key Phrases: Stephen Mitchell, Chinese Zen Master, Meister Eckhart (more...)

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. -- Review

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.

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.com Sales Rank: #897,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 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 (Issaquah, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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!