I have long been a fan of great quotes, or aphorisms to give them their proper name. Dating back to well before I had even heard of that sophisticated word, and possibly triggered by this Monty Python Oscar Wilde Sketch.
I currently use three of my favourites quotes in my Introducing Social Media for Small Business Workshop at the British Library. The point being that if you are able to express something of relevance to your potential customers in just a few words (for instance less than the 140 characters required for Twitter) you are likely to be a success.
So, I was excited to receive a review copy of Robert Eddison’s Wisdom & Wordplay which contains ‘300 original one-liners to enrich your day’.
In the Foreword Gyles Brandreth, who is well known for his wit and encyclopedic knowledge rates Eddison as a possible match for Wilde.
I wouldn’t go that far, having just re-visited some of Wilde’s classics quotes.
But there are still some wonderful gems scattered across the pages.
Here are some of my favourites:
– The spendthrift is more spend than thrift
– It’s hard to lick your wounds after being stabbed in the back
– Trust, like money has to be carefully invested
– The curious are their own best teachers
– A clear conscience makes the best sleeping pill
– Verbosity acts like a weed throttling meaning
– Deep thoughts take time to surface
– Those with a way with words usually get their way
– In a democracy, it’s ideas that are flogged to death; in an autocracy, it’s people
– History teaches us that we rarely learn from it
– Reality, like the sun, can never be faced for long
– Given enough notice, anyone can appear spontaneous
– Coffee is not everyone’s cup of tea
– Dressing young adds years to the older man
– Knowledge is too often mistaken for intelligence
– Youth, like money, is valued when lost
You can read more on Robert’s Twitter feed @roberteddison1, where you may not be surprised to find he currently has over 30 thousand followers. Which proves my point above.
