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Ernsthaft lustig: Die besten Terry-Pratchett-Zitate der Welt
Terry Pratchett hat im Laufe der Zeit so manchen unvergesslichen Satz erschaffen. Dieser Band vereint erstmals die schönsten Zitate aus seiner über 40 Jahre währenden, einzigartigen Karriere. Pratchetts Worte heitern auf, machen nachdenklich und zeigen stets die besondere Klasse eines der größten Schriftsteller unserer Zeit. Angereichert mit irrwitzigen Illustrationen ist »Ernsthaft lustig« ein Muss für alle Anhänger des Schöpfers der Scheibenwelt.
128 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2017
19 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
684 books46k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
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November 18, 2021
Three stars only for Sir PTerry? Yes indeed, and here's why. This book feels like a cop out. A rushed job. Something to capitalise on his death.
Terry Pratchett had a way with words that only a few surpass and even fewer are on par with. He could make the most mundane sound sublime, putting most other writers firmly in to the exceedingly droll category. And yes, we have some of the best quotes here and one-liners from Discworld, but anyone who's read his books will know these quotes by heart anyway, since that is the part of the body they speak to.
This needed more. It needed more quotes from interviews and speeches. There were a few from the Online Fan Site that added more dimension, but they were too few. This is for the collectors, though even we are disappointed. Still, PTerry is PTerry, and he's always worth reading.
Terry Pratchett had a way with words that only a few surpass and even fewer are on par with. He could make the most mundane sound sublime, putting most other writers firmly in to the exceedingly droll category. And yes, we have some of the best quotes here and one-liners from Discworld, but anyone who's read his books will know these quotes by heart anyway, since that is the part of the body they speak to.
This needed more. It needed more quotes from interviews and speeches. There were a few from the Online Fan Site that added more dimension, but they were too few. This is for the collectors, though even we are disappointed. Still, PTerry is PTerry, and he's always worth reading.
December 12, 2023
English version can be found below.
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German Version:
War etwas enttäuschend! Ich bezweifle ernsthaft, dass dies die besten und lustigsten Zitate von Terry Pratchett sind🤔 Es gab ein paar sehr bekannte und ein einige neue, die ich noch nicht kannte und wirklich gut fand, aber etwa die Hälfte löste nicht die geringste Emotion aus und ist sicher nicht 'ernsthaft lustig'. Alles in allem war es nett zu lesen, denke aber das es nicht unbedingt nötig war und einem in seinen eigentlichen Romanen wesentlich mehr Lustiges begegnet. Ich denke ein Problem dieser Zitate ist, dass Pratchetts Humor oft auf einer situationsbedingte Komik basiert, was sich eben schwer in knappe Zitate fassen lässt.
Insgesamt: 3,4.
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English version:
It was a bit disappointing! I seriously doubt these are Terry Pratchett's best and funniest quotes🤔 There were a few very familiar ones and a few new ones that I hadn't heard before and really liked, but about half didn't evoke the slightest emotion and certainly aren't 'seriously funny'. All in all it was nice to read but think it was a necessary read and you can read a lot more funny stuff in his actual novels. I think one problem with these quotes is that Pratchett's humor is often based on situational comedy, which is hard to capture in short quotes.
Overall: 3.4.
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German Version:
War etwas enttäuschend! Ich bezweifle ernsthaft, dass dies die besten und lustigsten Zitate von Terry Pratchett sind🤔 Es gab ein paar sehr bekannte und ein einige neue, die ich noch nicht kannte und wirklich gut fand, aber etwa die Hälfte löste nicht die geringste Emotion aus und ist sicher nicht 'ernsthaft lustig'. Alles in allem war es nett zu lesen, denke aber das es nicht unbedingt nötig war und einem in seinen eigentlichen Romanen wesentlich mehr Lustiges begegnet. Ich denke ein Problem dieser Zitate ist, dass Pratchetts Humor oft auf einer situationsbedingte Komik basiert, was sich eben schwer in knappe Zitate fassen lässt.
Insgesamt: 3,4.
-------------------
English version:
It was a bit disappointing! I seriously doubt these are Terry Pratchett's best and funniest quotes🤔 There were a few very familiar ones and a few new ones that I hadn't heard before and really liked, but about half didn't evoke the slightest emotion and certainly aren't 'seriously funny'. All in all it was nice to read but think it was a necessary read and you can read a lot more funny stuff in his actual novels. I think one problem with these quotes is that Pratchett's humor is often based on situational comedy, which is hard to capture in short quotes.
Overall: 3.4.
April 22, 2016
This was actually a lot smaller than I expected. I thought there would be famous serious/funny quotes with bits of interviews or background information or perhaps an illustration but it is just the quotes. Nevertheless, it is a fantastic selection if you ask me.
The book is divided into 9 chapters:
1) Human Nature
Sometimes I really think people ought to have to pass a PROPER exam before they are allowed to be parents. Not just the practical, I mean.
2) Romance
Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.
3) Learning & Wisdom
I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
4) Success
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
5) Life & Death
DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.
6) Animals
Humans, eh? Think they're lords of creation. Not like us cats. We KNOW we are. ver see a cat feed a human? Case proven.
7) Religion
Some of the most terrible things in the world are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they are doing it for the best, especially if there is some god involved.
8) Politics
Fear is strange soil. Mainly it grows obedience like corn, which grows in rows and makes weeding easy. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.
9) Words & Writing
The pen is mightier than the sword ... if the sword is very small and the pen is very sharp.
I have already selected some, one from each chapter, for my status updates and the ones above are (in my opinion) the best ones.
But there are lots more.
The thing is, this book could have had 1000 pages and we still wouldn't have had all the best lines from Terry Pratchett. The man simply is irreplaceable.
The book is divided into 9 chapters:
1) Human Nature
Sometimes I really think people ought to have to pass a PROPER exam before they are allowed to be parents. Not just the practical, I mean.
2) Romance
Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.
3) Learning & Wisdom
I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
4) Success
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
5) Life & Death
DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.
6) Animals
Humans, eh? Think they're lords of creation. Not like us cats. We KNOW we are. ver see a cat feed a human? Case proven.
7) Religion
Some of the most terrible things in the world are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they are doing it for the best, especially if there is some god involved.
8) Politics
Fear is strange soil. Mainly it grows obedience like corn, which grows in rows and makes weeding easy. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.
9) Words & Writing
The pen is mightier than the sword ... if the sword is very small and the pen is very sharp.
I have already selected some, one from each chapter, for my status updates and the ones above are (in my opinion) the best ones.
But there are lots more.
The thing is, this book could have had 1000 pages and we still wouldn't have had all the best lines from Terry Pratchett. The man simply is irreplaceable.
December 28, 2017
Die fehlenden Sterne sind hier der Aufmachung und dem Preis-Leistungsverhältnis geschuldet, nicht dem Inhalt. Denn obwohl Pratchett einige unglaublich gute Sätze geschrieben und gesagt hat, ist hier je nur eines pro Seite zu finden, selbst wenn damit nur 10% der Seite gefüllt sind. Nicht nur hätten sich noch mehr gute Zitate finden können, es ist so auch eine extreme Papierverschwendung.
February 28, 2025
Zamysł świetny, ale tych cytatów jest po prostu bardzo mało - na każdej stronie jeden. Nie ma tu wielu świetnych tekstów Pratchetta, a szkoda - mogłyby być.
Lektura na max pół godziny (i to jeśli ktoś wolno czyta). Szczerze mówiąc nie widzę w tej publikacji innego sensu niż sięgnięcie do kieszeni fanów Pratchetta.
Miłym bonusem są cytaty z innych niż Świat Dysku źródeł (jak wywiady z Pratchettem), ale znowu: jest ich dosłownie kilka. Może z 5?
Bardzo rozczarowująca publikacja, której głównym problemem jest nie jakość treści, ale jej ilość i selekcja. A przecież sam Świat Dysku to kopalnia wybornych cytatów!
Lektura na max pół godziny (i to jeśli ktoś wolno czyta). Szczerze mówiąc nie widzę w tej publikacji innego sensu niż sięgnięcie do kieszeni fanów Pratchetta.
Miłym bonusem są cytaty z innych niż Świat Dysku źródeł (jak wywiady z Pratchettem), ale znowu: jest ich dosłownie kilka. Może z 5?
Bardzo rozczarowująca publikacja, której głównym problemem jest nie jakość treści, ale jej ilość i selekcja. A przecież sam Świat Dysku to kopalnia wybornych cytatów!
May 6, 2022
Having a bad day? Read this.
Feel like the world doesn't make sense? Read this.
Feel like having a laugh? Read this.
Feel like finishing a book in 10 minutes? Read this.
Love everything Sir Terry Pratchett writes? Obviously read this.
Basically, read this just because its so witty and funny!
Feel like the world doesn't make sense? Read this.
Feel like having a laugh? Read this.
Feel like finishing a book in 10 minutes? Read this.
Love everything Sir Terry Pratchett writes? Obviously read this.
Basically, read this just because its so witty and funny!
December 17, 2017
I love books by sir Pratchett not this one is not right. It's bunch of great quotes from his books but every fan has his own notes full of great quotes. This book is missing something.
November 10, 2019
Dlaczego tak nisko? Bo książka jest tak naprawdę tylko przystawką, dobrą, i owszem, ale tylko przystawką. Prawdziwie smakowitym daniem są opowieści ze Świata Dysku.
January 3, 2022
It’s great to go through and to keep on a shelf. A good reminder what Pratchett is all about - quotes that are deep and fun and amazing.
March 13, 2017
This collection of Sir Terry Pratchett quotes starts with a simple premise: that the author in question is one of the most quoted, read, and loved authors today.
I cannot claim to attest to the veracity of that claim. What I do know is this: the author in question is one of my most favourite authors. I love his work, his ideology, his bloody-minded resilience which saw him churn out book after book filled with complete nonsense and absolute magic even as he battled a disease as debilitating as Alzheimer's. He transports the reader into a fantastical world which, at the core, wasn't that different from our own. It had vices, it had virtues, it had evil, and it had good. But, more than most, it had people. That is where Terry Pratchett wins over me.
This book attempts to distil the best of Pratchett's wisdom, intelligence, and wit. My only gripe with it is this: there was so much more that could have been added to it. Anyone who is on the fence about Pratchett is recommended this collection. Read it, and maybe, just maybe, you might be more open to the idea of a second home on Discworld.
I cannot claim to attest to the veracity of that claim. What I do know is this: the author in question is one of my most favourite authors. I love his work, his ideology, his bloody-minded resilience which saw him churn out book after book filled with complete nonsense and absolute magic even as he battled a disease as debilitating as Alzheimer's. He transports the reader into a fantastical world which, at the core, wasn't that different from our own. It had vices, it had virtues, it had evil, and it had good. But, more than most, it had people. That is where Terry Pratchett wins over me.
This book attempts to distil the best of Pratchett's wisdom, intelligence, and wit. My only gripe with it is this: there was so much more that could have been added to it. Anyone who is on the fence about Pratchett is recommended this collection. Read it, and maybe, just maybe, you might be more open to the idea of a second home on Discworld.
December 3, 2019
"Some of the most terrible things in the world are done by people who think, genuinely think, that they're doing it for the best, especially if there is some God involved."
January 10, 2019
Was kann ich weiter zu diesem Büchlein sagen, als dass es einen Blick wert ist. Aber bessern noch greift gleich zu einem Pratchett-Roman!
Zudem sind die Zitate und Textpassagen nicht immer gut übersetzt. Doch so ist das nunmal mit dem Wortwitz. Solche sprachliche Raffinesse lässt sich schwer übersetzen. Fest steht, dass das Büchlein nur ein schwacher Abglanz von Pterrys schriftstellerischer Leistungsfähigkeit ist. Ein sanftes Glimmen würde ich behaupten.
Zudem sind die Zitate und Textpassagen nicht immer gut übersetzt. Doch so ist das nunmal mit dem Wortwitz. Solche sprachliche Raffinesse lässt sich schwer übersetzen. Fest steht, dass das Büchlein nur ein schwacher Abglanz von Pterrys schriftstellerischer Leistungsfähigkeit ist. Ein sanftes Glimmen würde ich behaupten.
August 1, 2016
Expensive, but the quotes are awesome. An easy book to read in an hour with quotes that are either funny or true, but most often both.
July 21, 2023
“...there are times when the wrong word is the right word, and times when words can be manipulated so that silence shouts.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Humans, eh? Think they're lords of creation. Not like us cats. We know we are. Ever see a cat feed a human? Case proven.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“I'd rather be a rising ape than a falling angel.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“If you stopped tellin' people it's all sorted out after they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Goodness is about what you do. Not what you pray to.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Humans, eh? Think they're lords of creation. Not like us cats. We know we are. Ever see a cat feed a human? Case proven.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“I'd rather be a rising ape than a falling angel.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“If you stopped tellin' people it's all sorted out after they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
“Goodness is about what you do. Not what you pray to.”
Terry Pratchett, Seriously Funny
February 12, 2023
Jeszcze nie przeczytałam żadnej książki tego autora, ale skoro trafiłam na tę książeczkę, to niech będzie tą pierwszą.
Większość cytatów bardzo mi się spodobała, było humorystycznie i życiowo. Widać że autor był błyskotliwy i bardzo dobrym obserwatorem.
Niestety kilku cytatów do końca nie zrozumiałam, parę w ogóle, ponieważ najwyraźniej zostały wyciągnięte z kontekstu.
Poza tym książeczka jest przesadnie za krótka. W wersji pdf liczy tylko 44 stron, ale wychodzi jeszcze mniej przez ułożenie tekstu.
Większość cytatów bardzo mi się spodobała, było humorystycznie i życiowo. Widać że autor był błyskotliwy i bardzo dobrym obserwatorem.
Niestety kilku cytatów do końca nie zrozumiałam, parę w ogóle, ponieważ najwyraźniej zostały wyciągnięte z kontekstu.
Poza tym książeczka jest przesadnie za krótka. W wersji pdf liczy tylko 44 stron, ale wychodzi jeszcze mniej przez ułożenie tekstu.
January 1, 2017
A cute quotable little gift which made me laugh - a lot. I don't think Pratchett was able to write something and it sound bad. Everything he said, particularly the snippets here, remind me just why we miss him so very much. Each little phrase is the most understanding thing that could possibly exist in humanity.
February 8, 2018
A cute little book with quotes by Pratchett on Human Nature, Religion, Life, Death, and Religion. All the things you're not supposed to talk about at a polite party. And being Pratchett, the quotes are both snarky and spot on.
I made myself read it slowly, to appreciate the humor, and as an antidote to the boringness of one of the books I'm currently slogging through...er...reading.
I made myself read it slowly, to appreciate the humor, and as an antidote to the boringness of one of the books I'm currently slogging through...er...reading.
April 21, 2018
"If you trust in yourself. and believe in your dreams, and follow your star... you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy." Terry Pratchett ws a genius. I love this collection of quotes, it's one of thsoe that i know i'll pick up time and time and time again, and will still giggle each time. <3
January 4, 2019
6/10 - niezła. Zbiór wybranych cytatów z książek "Świata Dysku". Niektóre dobre same w sobie, ale ich największa siła leżała często w kontekście, z którego wyrwane nie robią takiego wrażenia. Książeczka przydatna w celu przypomnienia wycinków twórczości Pratchetta osobom ją znającym, nie polecałbym natomiast lektury czytelnikom dopiero planującym rozpocząć tę piękną podróż.
January 3, 2019
Fun collection of quotes although there are so many great Pratchett quotes that this only skimmed the surface. Some weren't the best IMO and curation could have been better but they fit the headings kind of.
June 5, 2021
Pleasant and humorously entertaining short excerpts from Terry Pratchett's numerous writings. I like the short entry format which makes it the perfect book to pick up and read one short chapter to brighten your day.
January 12, 2024
Loved it. There's not better for restoring the faith in humanity, than Terry Pratchett, even in small doses. And I'm seriously thinking of "ruining" my copy by adding my favourite quotes as I read the books along again. There's space for them.
February 13, 2018
I really need to re-/read more Terry Pratchett, and soon!
March 26, 2018
Wondrous
What can I say - just wondrous.
The man was a genius.
Read it as often as possible.
Very highly recommended
What can I say - just wondrous.
The man was a genius.
Read it as often as possible.
Very highly recommended
May 18, 2018
Distilled Pratchett
What can I say? It's the best of his wisdom in one book. What's not to love? It is fantastic!
What can I say? It's the best of his wisdom in one book. What's not to love? It is fantastic!
May 13, 2019
A nice collection of Pratchett's uniquely incisive views on the world, but if you are a fan of his, you'll have already read 98% of the quotes as they are mostly taken from his novels.
May 29, 2019
A very short read, one quote per page, but the title does not lie.
January 17, 2020
A good antidote to bad moods.
May 24, 2020
Many of the quotes are 5 star. But a quote a page seemed underwhelming and not what I was anticipating.
December 28, 2020
Terry Pratchett forever <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews