Words to Live By: The Origins of Conventional Wisdom and Commonsense Advice

by Charles Panati

Traces the origins of the gems of popular wisdom that are part of American culture, delving into sources as diverse as Aesop, the Bible, Ben Franklin, and Broadway

Genres: Reference

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Charles Panati is a former college professor, industrial physicist, author, and science editor of Newsweek.

Reviews

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting and educational, like all of Panati's books, but a little too moralizing to be fun.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I found the details about early uses of aphorisms tedious, but have came to enjoy them, and even began wishing that the one from Ancient Greek be written in Greek characters. Chasing down the origins of all these sayings must have taken years.

For me, this book is 4.5 stars. I quite got into it, and want to look at it again from time to time.