Rating: 
Summary: Great book to peruse once a day.
Review: .
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Summary: Great book to review each day and contemplate one or two thoughts from some of the world's foremost "thinkers". The point is to contemplate their thoughts, not to just accept them. Just like reading your daily astrology, some quotes can be so general as to lack basis. Good reference tool for writers, or leaders who need to quickly and capably convey thoughts, or ideas. Includes a CD to listen to in the car, etc. Review: Shanahan has put together many great one liners into a single volume; about 6 per page. Contents are logically divided: Acknowledgments
1.....The Human Condition
2.....Success, Fortune, Failure, and Misfortune
3.....Truth, Lies, and Deception
4.....Talk, Talk, Talk
5.....Passions, Virtues, and Vices
6.....It's Only in Your Mind
7.....Men, Women, and Relationships
8.....Religion, Nature, and God
9.....Life's Passages
10....Human Foibles
11....Pursuits - Artistic and Otherwise
12....History and Government
13....Stuff to Think About
Sources The "Sources" lists each author alphabetically, with the quote source and quote placement with the page numbers. Negative: 1.....The CD has no look-up capability, so you can only listen to it linearly, and cannot use it as a search tool. 2.....There is no index, or topical list for searching for quotes using specific words (like searching for "love", "ocean", "heart", etc).
Rating:
Summary: Great book to peruse once a day.
Review: .
.
Summary: Great book to review each day and contemplate one or two thoughts from some of the world's foremost "thinkers". The point is to contemplate their thoughts, not to just accept them. Just like reading your daily astrology, some quotes can be so general as to lack basis. Good reference tool for writers, or leaders who need to quickly and capably convey thoughts, or ideas. Includes a CD to listen to in the car, etc. Review: Shanahan has put together many great one liners into a single volume; about 6 per page. Contents are logically divided: Acknowledgments
1.....The Human Condition
2.....Success, Fortune, Failure, and Misfortune
3.....Truth, Lies, and Deception
4.....Talk, Talk, Talk
5.....Passions, Virtues, and Vices
6.....It's Only in Your Mind
7.....Men, Women, and Relationships
8.....Religion, Nature, and God
9.....Life's Passages
10....Human Foibles
11....Pursuits - Artistic and Otherwise
12....History and Government
13....Stuff to Think About
Sources The "Sources" lists each author alphabetically, with the quote source and quote placement with the page numbers. Negative: 1.....The CD has no look-up capability, so you can only listen to it linearly, and cannot use it as a search tool. 2.....There is no index, or topical list for searching for quotes using specific words (like searching for "love", "ocean", "heart", etc).
Rating: 
Summary: Choose another one
Review: As a professional speaker I often look for quotes that will support a point I am trying to make in my presentaion. While I own scads of quote book in my speakers library it is John M. Shanahan's book that I most often refer to. The Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time allows me to support my point with the fewest possible words. It allows me to find exactly what I am looking for in an area that I might expect to find it. Anyone whether it be a presidential hopeful or classroom teacher will benefit from the treasure trove of high content, benefit rich nuggets contained with in its pages. Doug Comstock ...
Rating: 
Summary: High Content, Benefit Rich Nuggets
Review: As a professional speaker I often look for quotes that will support a point I am trying to make in my presentaion. While I own scads of quote book in my speakers library it is John M. Shanahan's book that I most often refer to. The Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time allows me to support my point with the fewest possible words. It allows me to find exactly what I am looking for in an area that I might expect to find it. Anyone whether it be a presidential hopeful or classroom teacher will benefit from the treasure trove of high content, benefit rich nuggets contained with in its pages. Doug Comstock ...
Rating: 
Summary: A Few Thoughts on The most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time
Review: As a writer of greeting cards, needing upbeat and optimistic content, this book was not it. I found too much of the material was cynical, and as someone trying to find positive words to quote, this was definitely not the vehicle. The book did however have a real variaty of quotes, categories and subjects. Lots of tonge-in-cheek material if that's what you're looking for.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST FOR ANY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT LIBRARY!!!
Review: As an author I'm always on the lookout for good books to stimulate the mind. I also want to buy books that keep the Godlike side of me guided in separating the issues of right & wrong, responsible vs. reckless, good vs. evil, kind vs. mean and the like. This book, along with the bonus CD, makes a wonderful addition to any personal development library. It is full of wisdom from the ages and also includes a lot of colorful cultural proverbs which I used often in writing my relationship book. Anyone who has a problem with this book is precisely the kind of person who needs it the most. Enlightened people will see the immense value in this book immediately. The CD also adds tremendous value to the purchase of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Presumptuous of Author to Include Own Quotes
Review: I found it outrageously presumptuous of Mr. Shanahan to immodestly include his own sayings in this book. It is for others, and history, to decide if his bon mots are brilliant, let alone among the most brilliant thoughts of all time. In reading his obviously self-penned biographic blurb, it's apparent to me that Mr. Shanahan has a lot of money and clout, and so was able to push this vanity project through to publication.
Rating:
Summary: Good despite the sophomoric title
Review: I have found this to be a very thought-provoking collection. My biggest complaint (and I'm surprised no one else has remarked on this) is that MANY of the quotes appear in more than one chapter (though the index slyly lists just the first occurrence). This is bordering on the dishonest in a book of this sort, esp since there is no caveat such as "Some quotations appear in more than one chapter." I guess only someone like myself who reads a book like this from cover to cover would notice.
Rating:
Summary: Choose another one
Review: I purchased this book because I edit a newsletter and needed quotes so I could create cryptograms. I find myself paging and paging through the book, unable to use these obscure, often negative and sexist quotes (was it really necessary to include all those quotes by men voicing their sexist views of women)? The themes are too similar, as well - they all seem to be about human behavior and the human condition while it would be nice to have a wide range of topics, such as the natural world, seasons, holidays, for example. Choose another book of quotes.
Rating: 
Summary: Such a good idea, such a disappointment.
Review: I purchased this book from the title, afterall a one or two line comment has the opportunity to get to the core of an issue. However, the book has far too many average phrases and very few have a business use - perhaps I expect too much.
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