Pocket Philosophy

by Steve Broe

“I’m astounded by people who want to ‘know’ the universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.”                ~ Woody Allen

I love quotations.  With just a few well-chosen words, you can summon the mind of a sage Greek philosopher, in agreement with your position.  Or you can add the voluptuous ruminations of an Asian enlightened soul to your greetings.   Some thoughts are so rich in imagery:

“Better a bag of figs, and content with that; than to own the Gate of Peacocks and be kicked in the head by a broody camel.”  ~ Meatball Fulton

. . . that the quote is worth recalling to memory, even if the author is obscure.

How can you gain prowess with proverbs? 

Try investing in a few books of quotations.  I have several good books that cover the fields of business, achievement, and management.  There are abundant collections of meditations in print.  Many are sold as impulse items at the check stand of a large bookstore.  Invest in a few good references. 

Use the Internet search tools.   If you can remember just a few parts of a quote, your browser will help you find the source with its correct language.  For example, I recently wanted to quote Rudyard Kipling.  But I didn’t have the poem in print.  I could only recall a few key words.   I simply typed them into my search tool – [Kipling then you’ll be a man my son] and Voila!  I found a source for the poem in a few moments.  I use “Google.com” as my preferred search tool.  

Subscribe to daily quotation services.   I use “Strive to quote daily,” I receive about ten good quotations every business day from this and other list services. 

Try using memorable quotations with all of your written language.   You’ll be marked as a distinguished thinker, even if your “M” isn’t visible.