The Essential Wit of the World's Funniest People

by Daniel Bukszpan

This compendium of timeless wit includes jokes, aphorisms and observations from Dorothy Parker, George Carlin, Franz Kafka, Bill Murray, and many others.We’ve all heard the saying, “Everyone’s a comedian.” While that may be true, let’s face it—not everyone is funny. And even fewer are truly witty. As Daniel Bukszpan puts it in his introduction to this volume, witty saying have the ability to relate “something truthful about mankind’s folly in a matter of just a few words.” That truth-telling is the common factor that unites this collection of jokes, asides, aphorisms, and observations from some of the wittiest individuals in history. Here you’ll find everyone from W.C. Fields to H.L. Mencken, and from Margaret Cho to Ralph Waldo Emerson, offering pithy insights on subjects such as money, religion, romance, popular culture—and everything in between.

Genres: Humor

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2017

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduced me to some of my new favorite quotes!
"If loving someone is putting them in a straitjacket and kicking them down a flight of stairs, then yes, I have loved a few people"
"I like children. If they're properly cooked."
"Hundreds of wise men cannot make the world a heaven, but one idiot is enough to turn it into a hell."

[Writemoves · Rating 3 out of 5]

My school was so tough, the school newspaper had an obituary section.
Norm Crosby

Never tease an old dog; he might have one bite left.
Robert Heinlein

The one who loves least controls the relationship.
Robert Newton Anthony

Sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope.
George Burns

Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.
Maryon Pearson

A woman's guess is much more accurate than a man's certainty.
Rudyard Kipling

Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.
Isaac Asimov

Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it.
George Bernard Shaw

A lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a 1000 men with guns.
Mario Puzo

[Tom Romig · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it."--George Bernard Shaw

"If everyone who had a gun just shot themselves, there wouldn't be a problem"--George Harrison

"Middle age is having a choice between two temptations and choosing the one that'll get you home earlier."--Dan Bennett

"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike."--Delos B. McKown

OK, you get the idea: the quotations are funny and, at their best, which is often, also thought provoking.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Got bored and just started reading this and it made me reflect quite a bit on a lot of topics like entertainment, politics, and human nature in general.

[Bill Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a chuckle.