The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations
Overview
A lively collection of 4,000 quotations from contemporary and traditional sources. Perfect for sermon illustration, writing projects, or simply as an entertaining compendium of pithy statements on a variety of topics. Includes sources from A-One (a graffiti artist) to Loretta Young.
Even if you already own Great Quotations, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations is a great addition to your library as it contains a vast number of quotes not included in Great Quotations, and is organized by topic rather than by source.
Topics cover nearly everything imaginable: Ability, Youth, The Mind, War, Forgiveness, Humility, Greatness, Bureaucracy, and Reality, to name just a few.
Some quotations re-state common sense, many have worked their way into everyday speech, and still others offer a surprising or enigmatic perspective on a topic. Conflicting perspectives from multiple sources on the same topic are common, and can shed interesting light on the subject. On the topic of absence, for example, the well-known "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (Thomas Haynes Bayly) is countered by Cervantes' opposite take, "Absence, that common cure of love" (Don Quixote). A more nuanced perspective comes from Roger de Bussy-Rabutin who oberves, "Absence is to love what wind is to a fire; it puts out the little, it kindles the great."
In some cases, the editor notes the actual, earlier origins of a quotation that may be popularly attributed to a more recent speaker or writer. For example, Adlai Stevenson (1952 U.S. presidential nominee) is quoted as saying, "Let's talk sense to the American people. Let's tell them the truth, that there are no gains without pains." An editor's note observes, "The expression 'No pains, no gains' appeared as early as 1670, in John Ray's English Proverbs."
Top Highlights
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” (Page 171)
“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators. —Edward Gibbon,” (Page 1)
“Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. —George Eliot, Adam Bede” (Page 5)
“‘Classic’: A book which people praise and don’t read. —Mark Twain, Following the Equator, ‘Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar’” (Page 42)
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. —Edmund Burke, attributed” (Page 126)
The eloquent and entertaining musings of some of the greatest minds of yesterday and today are presented in this lively collection. The familiar utterances and often-cited observations of historical figures such as William Shakespeare and Mark Twain are complementd by the reflections of such modern writers as James Baldwin and Erica Jong.
. . . It is a journey into the provocative thoughts of many of society's most noted individuals.
- Title: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations
- Publisher: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
- Publication Date: 1992
- Pages: 459
Reviews
2 ratings
Rick Lorenson
7/13/2017
