Taxi Driver Wisdom

by Risa Mickenberg, Joanne Dugan (Photographer)

Real taxi drivers know more than how to get you there without a GPS. Philosophers all, they know how to get you there in life. This 20th anniversary edition of the wise and hilarious classic, as true now as ever, is a celebration of the witty, philosophical perspective on human nature culled from real quotations from real cab drivers who've been around the block. On reading the signs: "If a man keeps telling you he loves you, over and over, then something is wrong." On vanity economics: "The worse a town's economy is, the better looking the guys who work at the local gas station are." Evocative black and white photos and a cab-dash padded cover with taxi-yellow page edges showcases the wisdom in style.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Self Help, Philosophy

176 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Kye Alfred Hillig · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had a bible this would be it. Whenever I have needed to be grounded I will flip through the quotes in this book. So much great insight. I picked it up and bought it so casually 10 years ago and it has stayed close to me ever since.

[sujatmiko.ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

beberapa quote didalamnya:
* I am for better always. I am for future.
* Never be embarrassed about something you like.
* You say you are happy. You are lying.
* If you are good at anything, that is beauty.
* When there is something you want, it seems it is everywhere.
* If someone steals your cab, then it wasn't your cab.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reality checks "in" from the dearest man who knows the streets of NYC; my Cabbie!!

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

You never know where you will find good advice...maybe the person driving you to your physical destination can also help drive you to your philosophical destination.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

My initial expectations for this book were quite low. I read it on a bored Saturday night in the dark days of 2001 and was very impressed by it. If I lived in a city that leant itself to frequent taxi-ing, I would definitely talk to my drivers about their experiences.

[Petalbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An attractive hardcover small enough to fit in a pocket, a quick read chock-full of wit. Excellent for commutes, reading while waiting for the laundry to be finished, or any number of things. (Also, a truly awesome thrift-store find.) (:

Wait a tic. This is my second NYC cabbie book. Hmm.

[Jennifer Kristin Taheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.
Buy it.
You can read it in 30 minutes or less.
It's wonderful and full of brilliance.

[Janko]

One of the New York survival guides - with pictures by Joanne Dugan

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good dose of reality in just a few, short insightful words.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a feeling I would enjoy this little gem. I did! It's a keeper!

[Ivan Possamai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the concept and brilliant ideA.
Very well presented with a premium finish and beautiful pictures that unfortunately or fortunately don’t direct represent the short quotes by their side. They seem totally random pictures of New York.
Also the quotes are very short, in its majority, however I believe these was the amount of culture the author could obtain from the most diverse taxi drivers culture in the busiest city in the world.
I wish the author had given a short explanation of the context of each quote.. however I understand that the short pearls of wisdom are, by themselves, self explanatory.
A great work that will sure conserve for posterity the deep thoughts of a race almost extinguished: The New York And world Taxi Drivers!

Idea for the next book: Wisdom of Lyft and Uber Drivers!

As one... I would love to see that!

[Christa Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of wisdom and philosophy from taxi drivers. First off there is something very easy about talking to someone that you see for only a short time. Also, taxi drivers see everyone so they have a lot of life experience. This little book was so much fun to read. I'll leave you with a few things to ponder: on high blood pressure: "Everything comes out the same, no matter whether you make it hard on yourself or not." "Vietnam War is finished but sixth avenue construction is never finished." "Love is 90% responsibility. Whatever that other 10 percent is, it must be quite something."

[Naomi Ayala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been in so many cabs both in NYC and outside and have heard so many cabbies say such incredible things that I just had higher expectations for this quick read.

[Alli Tripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great coffee table book that's not too big but full of the wisdom of taxi drivers enlightening I've loved it since college and right at many times

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting wisdom book.

[Dezky Oka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love to come back to read this book again and again. It is a kind of book which will bring a different perspective each time you read it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too short

[Justinian · Rating 3 out of 5]

2017-12 – Taxi Driver Wisdom. Risa Mickenberg (Author) Joanne Dugan (Author) 1996. 176 Pages.

I won this book at a Library Book Bingo event. I thought it was amusing and might make a fun sharing project. The internets and social media was swirling with politics and acrimony and I thought this book was the perfect opportunity to do something else. So every day I posted one page of Taxi Driver Wisdom. It created some interesting dialogue and comments. I typed the text exactly as it appeared. The authors obviously wrote down what the Tax Driver’s said verbatim because some of the phrasing or word choice was not what a native speaker would say or use. I think this preservation of voice is part of the charm of this book. Each page of wisdom is paired with a black and white photo sometimes related to the wisdom, and sometimes related to taxi cabs and their movements in a big city. I am glad I got this book and shared it with all.

[elstaffe · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, the best wisdoms from this book:
"Vietnam War is finished but Sixth Avenue construction is never finished."

"You have this on the one hand, that on the other hand. That is why you wrong your hands."

"If someone steals your cab, then it wasn't your cab."

A+ placement of a picture of bananas facing the "on lust" page

"If you are good at anything, that is beauty."

"Bike messengers—they search for death."

"To prepare yourself for marriage, you must think: I am going to bury this person."

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good quotes in here, some not so good, some were made extremely clever by the subtitle heading -- doesn't take long to get through, but I'm not sure I'm much wiser from reading the book. I feel like I'd get wiser by riding in a cab with one of these guys and just talking. Decent coffee table book.

[اليازية خليفة · Rating 5 out of 5]

اشتريت هذا الكتاب صيف ٢٠٠٧، قرأته حينها ونسيته..

عاودت قراءته الآن ووجدته مليئاً بالحكمة.. ولا أعرف حقيقة أأعجبت بالتصوير الأبيض والأسود فيه أم ببساطة الاقتباسات المنقولة عن سائقي سيارات أجرة مدينة نيويورك، خليط رائع من الحكم الإنسانية!

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple funny quotes. Mostly made my laugh because it brought my own memories of NYC cab drivers.

Wouldn't go out of my way to find it - but it's like a coffee table book, you'll flip through it in a few minutes.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute despite the odd padded cover. Is it supposed to be like a taxi seat?

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

The wisdom of Taxi drivers. No sure why. What's next? The Wisdom of Bartenders.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taxi drivers have some of the most interesting pearls of wisdom. I had to blog this book.

[Joseph F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some wise, some maybe not so wise, sayings collected from cabbies. I like the visceral, off-the-cuff feel of many of them. Some nice photographs to go with them.
Very New York!

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lifetimes of experience that you absorb in 10 minutes. Seems kinda wrong, but it's beautiful.

[Hrefna (Habbi) Helgadóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

just so pleasant

[Sukanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

'cause random conversations with strangers are the most insightful sort. It's true.

[John Acuna]

Philosophy, through lens of NYC taxi drivers.