The Wisdom of the Great
A biographical collection of over 2600 quotations from 450 writers & notables of 50 countries in the span of 3 millenniums (9th centuries B.C. to the present time). It is a unique book with wealth of knowledge & words of wisdom & a great reference book.
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Sam Majdi, the retired teacher of English has always been interested in quotations and is the author of Lovers Paradise Book of 222 Love Quotations. He has also been an advocate of students and teachers rights. William Arthur Ward (1921-1994), American editor, believes “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demomonstrates. The great teacher inspires. The author is proud he has been inspirer of respect, freedom and love to all his students.
Dr. Nathan Pusey (1907-2001), 24th president of Harvard University quotes, “ The best teacher is not life, but the christallized and distilled experience of the most sensitive, reflective, and most observant of our human beings, and this experience you will find preserved in our great books and nowhere else.”
That is the reason why Sam has spent nearly two decades to select the best, simplest and most impressive quotations from almost 400 writers and notables from 40 countries of the world in the span of three millenniums (9th century B.C. to the present time.)
It has been written to instill in your minds the finest thoughts and wise words of the greatest men in history to be the best guide for you towards a more productive life. It is about the lives, works, achievements, and quotations of literary figures, philosophers, scientists, statesmen, kings, queens, saints, political and religious leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs…Many of these people are Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize recepients, or holders of other prestigious awards.
The author is proud to announce that 86 out of 127 American figures mentioned in the index of the Encyclopedia “ People Who Made America”. and 30 of them are among the list of “100 People Who Influenced and Changed the World.”
The text of the book is comprised of 10 parts as the following, with one or two selected quotations for each:
1. Part 1: Those who were born in the period of B. C.
From Homer (9th century B. C. ) to Seneca (4 B. C.-65 A. D.)
From: Seneca, Roman philosopher:
So great will be the frenzy of ambition that you will
see nobody behind you, if there is anybody in front of you.
2. Part II: The people born in A. D.
From Plutarch (46-120 A. D.) until the end of 16th century:
René Descartes (1596-1650).
From Saadi (1184-1291), Persian poet
Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of essence and soul.
If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.
If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain.
From: François Rabelais (1494-1553), French philosopher:
A fool in a high position is like a man in the top of a mountain—everything appears small to him and
he appeaers small to everybody.
3. Part III: The people born in 17th century
From: Edmund Waller (1606-1687), English poet to: James
Thomson (1700-1748), Scottish poet and journalist
From: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), English minister
When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all pride.
4. Part IV: The people born in 18th century
From: John Wesley (1703-1791), English preacher to: Lord
Babington Macaulay (1800-1859), English critic and historian.
From: biography of Patrick Henry (1736-1799), American orator
and statesman:
Every great movement must have a variety of leaders to make it
Successful. Thomas Jefferson was the philosopher of Revolution, Samuel Adams, the political
engineer, George Washington, the military genius, and Patrick Henry, the orator.
5. Part V: The people born in the first half of 19th century
From: John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), English
Catholic leader and writer to:Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894),
Scottish author
From: Henry Wadworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American poet:
How beautiful is youth! how bright it gleams
With its illusions, aspirations, dreams!
Book of beginnings, Story without End,
Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer.
6. Part VI: The people born in the second part of 19th century
and 20th century
From: George Augustus Moore (1852-1933), Irish novelist to
the present time
Rom Helen Keller (1880-1968), American author:
I believe that God is in me as the sun in the color and fragrance
of a flower—the light in my darkness, the Voice in my Silence.
From: Dag Hammarkdjold (1905-1961), Swedish statesman, secretary-general of the United Nations (1953-1961), and the Nobel Peace Prize winner (1961). Pray that your loneliness may spur into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.
7. Part VII: Anonymous section is arranged alphabetically and
consists of 193 quotations
Selected quotation:
Books are keys to wisdom’s treasure.
Books are gates to lands of pleasure.
Books are paths that upward lead.
Books are friends. Come let us read.
Don’t sneer at the man who is down today—unless you have felt the blow that caused his fall, or felt the pain that only the fallen know.
8. Part VIII: Comprehensive glossary is 34 pages, arranged alphabetically and consists of the short biographies of 61 notables and the description of 30 proper places and the meaning of difficult words used in the book.
9. Part IX: Names Index: 13 pages, arranged alphabetically.
10. Part X: Detailed Subject Index, 10 pages in two rows and is arranged alphabetically. It helps you easily locate your favorite topics.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The 2nd book: The The Wisdom of the Great is a unique biographical collection of nearly 2700 quotations from 450 notables of 50 countries in the span of 30 centuries. It was published on demand by iUniverse in 2012. It contains Names Index, comprehensive Subject Index and Glossary and Anonymous section. Reading this book gives you the best opportunity to explore the wisdom and insight of great people all around the world. Its variety of topics will give you a new perspective in many walks of life and makes you a brand new, improved person. It can be purchased online for $33.95 for soft cover and $3.99 for Kindle edition.
About the Author
Sam Majdi is a retired teacher of English, with a B.A. in English literature and has been a member of Kansas Authors Club since 2001. He has over 30 years experience in teaching in high schools and colleges. He is also the author of three literary books. His 3rd book The Nobel Laureates in Literature (1901–2014) was published on demand by Amazon in 2015; the only book in this field. It is the biography of 111 outstanding literary figures who won this prestigious prize in its 114-year history. It contains Names Index (the date they were born and the year they were awarded the prize), plus a comprehensive Glossary. This book is a clear mirror through which you can see how these great people contributed to world democracy and civilization. For more information about the book and the days of free Kindle promotion, please search for Sam Majdi. The book can be purchased online or by author for $12.95 (the Kindle edition is $3.99). The free Kindle promotion days for the 3rd book for this season are: 5-7, 5-25, 6-10, and 6-18.