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The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism Hardcover – October 13, 2005

by James Geary (Author)

17 customer reviews

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

Starting with the ancient Chinese and ending with contemporary Europeans and Americans, The World in a Phrase tells the story of the aphorism through spirited and amusing biographies of some of its greatest practitioners: Americans like Ambrose Bierce, Emily Dickinson, and Mark Twain and Dorothy Parker; great French aphorists like Montaigne, La Rochefoucauld, and Chamfort; philosophers like Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein; as well as prophets and sages like the Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Jesus. Though it’s an ancient art form, the aphorism is as spritely and as apposite as ever. Challenging and subversive, aphorisms deliver the short, sharp shocks of old forgotten truths. They are literature’s hand luggage: they’re light and compact, you can take them anywhere, and they contain everything you need to get through a rough day at the office or a dark night of the soul. But more than just a literary history, The World in a Phrase is a personal memoir of how aphorisms changed Geary’s life—and how, if not for an aphorism by W.H. Auden, he might never have met his wife. In our modern age of drive-through culture, pre-digested soundbites, and manufactured sentiment, The World in a Phrase explores how aphorisms still retain the power to instigate and inspire, enlighten and enrage, entertain and edify.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1st Am. ed. edition (November 2, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582344302
ISBN-13: 978-1582344300
Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1 x 8.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #773 in Books > Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Etymology

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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

A funny, interesting book.

By tom on December 30, 2013

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

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 aphorisms.

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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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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Place this on the Reference Shelf

By J. Larson on February 18, 2011

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

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 saved the book for the stories around the people that gave us the Aphorism.

4) I entered any Aphorism I thought was great in my Evernote account for quick reference

5) I placed this on my writing reference shelf

6) I will pull this book out again when I have a witty Aphorism and need the story behind it

7) Don't have high expectations - Think Reference

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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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A joy to read

By Jerry Sollien on February 22, 2013

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

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 interesting and talented author.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

I simply loved this book!

By Barbara Badham VINE VOICE on November 13, 2011

Format: Paperback

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. (My definition: "A pithy little saying of condensed wisdom or insight, easily committed to memory.") Geary begins our journey with his own personal account--The Confessions of an Aphorism Addict--and then leads on through seven more chapters arranged in roughly chronological fashion, grouped by great thinkers of similar bent. Their short biographies make for fascinating reading, punctuated in bold print by their astute commentaries. The Zen masters, Greek & Roman stoics, French & Spanish moralists, religious skeptics, American wits, and light versifiers are all well represented here ... leading up to a discussion of modern twists on the form. A good book doesn't just end, it invites you to keep on exploring new thoughts or subjects of interest. I am happy to have been so invited.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Nicely done book

By R. Russell on August 18, 2009

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

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. Most of the material is about the writers, with aphorisms generously intertwined to illustrate their genius.
The one-star ratings of a couple of other reviews are from fundamental Christians who apparently did not appreciate Geary's secular take on Jesus the aphorist. Geary's humanist bent does show in his approach. I would advise potential buyers of this book to take their complaint with a grain of sand. And, after all, it's only four pages out of a couple of hundred.
Any thinking person will find the book a delight.

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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

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

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

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

Thought Provoking

Very interesting, and Philosophical. James Geary gives brief backgrounds on the authors and insight into their ways of thinking. Keep a dictionary close. Read more

Published on January 6, 2007 by Zero G

One man's search for meaning

The 'Publisher's Weekly' review pretty well says it all: this man is obsessed with aphorisms (a sort of bite-sized parable). Read more

Published on November 2, 2006 by P. Mccall