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Summary: About the Book
Review:
Wisdom of the Ages: A Modern Master Brings Eternal Truths into Everyday Life
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Bestselling author Wayne W. Dyer has crafted a powerful collection of writings, poems, and sayings by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twentyfive centuries. In succinct original essays, Dyer sets out to explain the meaning and context of each piece of wisdom, and, most important, how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives.
A beautiful and thoughtful gift, this book shows us a window to wisdom and a door to greatness.
SYNOPSIS
Bestselling author Wayne W. Dyer has crafted a powerful collection of writings, poems, and sayings by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twentyfive centuries.
FROM THE CRITICS
Wayne W. Dyer
This book is not about appreciating poetry and philosophy as much as it is about applying the wisdom of these writers to our everyday lives. All the selections in this book convey messages from sensitive, highly creative, and productive individuals who were alive here at one time, just as you and I are today.
Library Journal
This is intended as a handbook of wisdom gleaned from 60 sources, ancient and contemporary, ranging from novelists, poets, sages, and saints to statesmen, including the likes of Herman Melville, Dorothy Parker, Shakespeare, Buddha, Jesus, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi. Each chapter, prefaced by a quotation from an individual whose contribution to history is summed up in a few lines, revolves around a specific theme, such as forgiveness, work, family and home, divinity, individuality, and so forth. These writings are often rambling and take inspiration from individuals who have no bearing on the selected quotations. This book is self-actualization guru Dyer at his presumptuous best, capitalizing on the wisdom of others and devoting the final chapter to himself as a master worthy of the last word. Not much to recommend here.--Bernadette McGrath, Vancouver P.L.
Kirkus Reviews
An enhanced version of a commonplace book, Wisdom of the Ages offers brief excerpts from the writings of 60 "teachers" (ranging from Buddha and Jesus up to George Bernard Shaw and Mother Teresa) followed by three- to four-page musings by Dyer (Real Magic) which attempt to explicate the sayings. The necessarily fragmentary nature of such an approach means that the book lends itself more to browsing than to study; the often bland and unsurprising analyses of the excerpts, and the only fitfully convincing effort to draw from each excerpt some plan of action for change and enhanced awareness would suggest that only the author's longtime fans are likely to find the volume of much interest or utility. (His fans are, of course, legion.)
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Summary: Less Ego please.
Review: Although Mr. Dyer's selection of great people and their work has a lot to offer, his ego spoiled the scene. He inserts numerous plugs for his other products, and too many examples from his own life. Perhaps reading the book would make it easier to avoid these distractions, but when listening to the CD, they are unavoidable. The overall effect is that of sitting down to a nice meal, only to discover a large hair in the dish after severl bites. Disappointing.
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Summary: Less Ego please.
Review: Although Mr. Dyer's selection of great people and their work has a lot to offer, his ego spoiled the scene. He inserts numerous plugs for his other products, and too many examples from his own life. Perhaps reading the book would make it easier to avoid these distractions, but when listening to the CD, they are unavoidable. The overall effect is that of sitting down to a nice meal, only to discover a large hair in the dish after severl bites. Disappointing.
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Summary: Great teachers can speak to us if we listen...
Review: Being an avid advocate of ancient wisdom, I immediately felt a connection with Wayne Dyer. I first saw his videos on Public Television. His relaxed manner and deep wise voice immediately had my attention. When I heard about his new book: Wisdom of the Ages, I knew this was a book I would want to own. Ancient wisdom is fascinating to me. It can teach us as much as it taught our ancestors so long ago. When I find a quote or a poem I feel a connection to, I collect it like a treasure. You know that you are learning something wise, something which is lost in the hurried twenty-first century. Wayne Dyer has captured the wisdom from sixty great teachers. They come from various backgrounds, cultures and religions, yet their writings hold truth. These are the writings of highly imaginative, productive and perceptive individuals. If you appreciate poetry, quotes, and prose selections which inspire; you will thrive for sixty days as your soul grows in a new garden of awareness. The words from our ancestral scholars hold keys to our own spiritual advancement. Wayne takes each portion of writing and unfolds the cocoon for us. He sets the butterflies of truth free to circle in our minds as we gaze on their beauty. He puts each piece of wisdom in the context of our lives today and gives a practical application. These short essays will speak to your heart. Each section begins with a selection and the explanation follows. Wayne Dyer is a natural teacher who so effortlessly draws on his own collected wisdom and the experiences in his life that most fully represent his new lesson. He challenges the reader to make his book a two-month project in which you read one section a day and try to apply the principles you have absorbed. As you read this great work, you will feel as though you have entered a unity of consciousness with the writers. Their world suddenly becomes yours, their lessons become a gift of enlightenment. Can pain in our lives help us to accent to a higher plane of acceptance? Can someone really make you unhappy without your consent? Can we turn anger over a situation in life into a peaceful and fulfilling solution? What are the six mistakes we all make? Here you will learn how to stop giving your precious energy to things you don't believe in, how to find a quite place, or how to become more aware of that feeling of peace you so desire. While I don't believe I am God, I do believe God can show his love through us and his son can live in us. The voices I heard through the words of the sixty writers did not conflict with my own beliefs. They reinforced some of the wisdom I knew to be truth and taught me more about who I want to be. I have just taken the first few steps in the long journey into eternity. If enlightenment means an immersion in and a surrounding of peace, you might just find it by applying the principles in this book. A Sample Poem included in Wisdom of the Ages: Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow You will also find the works of Pythagoras and Blaise Pascal, Buddha, Lao-tzu, Confucius, Patanjali, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Jesus of Nazareth, Epictetus, Omar Khayyam, St. Francis of Assisi, Jalaluddin Rumi, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sir Edward Dyer, William Shakespeare, John Donne, John Milton, Kahlil Gibran, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Blake, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Hentry David Thoreau, Chief Seattle, Oren Lyons, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Frost, Mother Teresa, Lewis Carroll and many, many more wise teachers.
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Summary: A HIGHER CONSCIOUS AWARENESS!
Review: Congratulations once again Dr Dyer for bringing valuable information and a new awareness into so many peoples lives. I recently attended a workshop you held in San Diego and found the experience to be nothing short of amazing! I have always been a fan of yours and would like to see you work more on stage with mediums like James Van Praagh, Jenny Crawford and John Edwards. It seems that you all have a lot in common in awakening peoples God consicousness.
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Summary: Another Miracle From Dr. Wayne Dyer . . .
Review: Dr. Dyer has performed, yet, another literary miracle. His latest creation provides us with a spectacular way of receiving guidance from our great ancestors and then having it put into words that explains how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives. When Wayne Dyer writes, it is as if he is communicating through the thoughts and feelings of these various masters. If there is one book that is a 'Must Read For The New Year' -- this book is it!! Namaste! to you dearest Wayne Dyer!! PS: I also ordered the cassette program for this book that is read by the author. What a wonderful bonus!!
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Summary: DYER BLOWS IT IN THE FINAL CHAPTER
Review: Great topics written by Dyer...until he includes HIMSELF among the great thinkers, writers. What nonsense! "Brisbane" Oooooh!!! Sorry, Wayne, you should have kept your ego in check. Read the book, but skip the last entry.
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Summary: The best yet from Dr. Wayne Dyer
Review: Having read everyone of Dr. Wayne Dyer's wonderful books I feel confident when saying that I consider this his best work yet. This is a book that will reach every person at their level of understanding and will propel you to quiet action in your own life. A true treasure.
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Summary: Read the title, consider...
Review: how truth comes from a spirit of humility. There is the truth of theory, and there is the truth we face every day, namely to see ourselves in the mirror of our experiences and actions. These lessons aren't hard, but pride must be overcome. I leave it to the reader to consider what is more truthful.
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Summary: A Gift Worth Giving
Review: I agree with the comments of the other 5 Star reviews and would suggest that this book become a gift to those you revere and appreciate. I gave a copy to my father in law who is 93 years old, metally sharp and a man of wisdom. I wanted him to know how much I thought of him. This book better expressed my feelings more than anything else I could think of. I know he was greatly touched by my expression of love.
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