The Economist Book of Business Quotations by Bill Ridgers (Editor)
| The Economist Book of Business Quotations by Bill Ridgers (Editor) | |
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| Category: Business and Finance | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: Witty, pithy and thought-provoking aphorisms about the world of business - it to dip into rather than reading through. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 256 | Date: June 2012 |
| Publisher: Profile | |
| ISBN: 978-1846685934 | |
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It's not so much a book of business quotations as a book of business aphorisms. There's a prime example on the dust cover: J Paul Getty's My formula for success? Rise early, work late, strike oil. It's arranged alphabetically by subject matter from Accountants and Accountancy (Budget: a mathematical confirmation of your suspicions A A Latimer) through to Work-Life Balance (For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. Lily Tomlin). Most entries are short and pithy and few run to as much as half a page.
You might expect the quotations to come from business people but these are quotes about business and the world of comedy and cartoons is mined for all it's worth. Homer Simpson and Dilbert are predictably reliable but the quotes used are some of the more unusual. History is well represented by the likes of John Maynard Keynes and Thomas Edison. Particularly informative are quotes from Warren Buffett - it's easy to see why he's where he is - and the death of Steve Jobs has brought many of his words to the surface.
I did wonder why you would buy this book and I came to the conclusion that you would either be given it and refer to it on those occasions when you had ten minutes to spare (that's a euphemism) or you would buy it if you were in the habit of making speeches. You'd be certain to find something to appeal to any audience.
Don't read it straight through (although such is the fate of the reviewer) as it's too much of a good thing. Dip in and out or look up a specific subject. It's much more rewarding. I'll leave you with two of my favourites. Firstly something thought-provoking from Ronald Reagan:
The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.
And finally from Dorothy Parker on being asked which she thought to be the most beautiful words in the English language:
I like 'cheque' and 'enclosed'.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
For more humour from the world of business we can recommend Clients From Hell. For more about Steve Jobs, try Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Economist Book of Business Quotations by Bill Ridgers (Editor) at Amazon.com.
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