Great Words of the Masters

by Ned Halley (Compiler)

Nearly everybody remembers passages from a speech, a book or maybe just a snippet of conversation that sends a shiver down the spine. It is difficult to forget Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech or Churchill's many inspiring broadcasts, and there are passages from Gibbon and Macaulay that are equally moving. This collection brings together extracts from some of the most inspiring speeches of statesmen and politicians, and from some of the greatest books ever written. From Plato to Julius Caesar, from Oliver Cromwell and Napoleon to Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King the reader will find the great words of the masters of language.

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2004

About the author

Ned Halley is the author of a number of children's books. He has contributed to such bestsellers as How To Do Just About Anything, and How Is It Done? A former director of the US publisher Rodale Press, Ned now writes from his home in Somerset, England.

Reviews

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book contains a mountain full of wisdom and knowledge of the great masters. Much can be learned by perusing the numerous quotes. I feel smarter for having read it!
1. "(Words) inform us, enlighten us, entertain us. They may enrage us, but they also console us."
2. "All the unhappiness of mankind derives from a single thing, which is that we do not know
how to be at ease alone in a room." --Blaise Pascal
3. "The man who boasts that he habitually tells the truth is simply a man with no respect for it.
It is not a thing to be thrown about loosely, like small change; it is something to be cherished
and hoarded, and disbursed only when absolutely necessary. -- H. L. Mencken
4. "My definition of a marriage: It resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be
separated, often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes
between them." --Revd Sydney Smith
5. "History is the witness that testifies to the passage of time; it illumines realty, vitalizes
memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of iniquity."
--Marcus Tullius Cicero
6. "In the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up
inside." --John F. Kennedy

[RinTinTin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found most of the "Great Words" interesting, many of them re-reads and some of them new. However, it was incredibly Western and the Eurocentrism felt particularly overbearing considering how many repeat British authors were quoted when one appearance would have more than sufficed. Also, the titling/organizational system was a bit uneven - it worked better when the quotations were organized thematically (Villain, Patience, etc) rather than by character or person, since you get that information at the end of the quotation anyway (Romeo, Tutu) and a lot of authors appeared twice.