Uncle Anthony’s Unabridged Analogies, Second Edition: Quotes, Proverbs, Blessings & Toasts for Lawyers, Lecturers & Laypeople

Uncle Anthony’s Unabridged Analogies offers an easy to use, invaluable, and unique collection of tens of thousands of currently applicable, topically-organized quotations, proverbs, toasts and sayings drawn from a wide range of well-known and time-honored sources such as the Bible, Shakespeare, Lincoln, Churchill, Will Rogers, Mark Twain, US Presidents, and hundreds more, as well as some lesser-known but equally insightful observers of life and the individual and collective challenges, frailties, and strengths we all encounter every day.The author’s fascination with collecting quotations began in high school and continued through college and law school; over the past 40 years his high school index box has become a foot locker or treasure chest filled with quotes he has found useful for writing or speaking on any topic to any group. Since ancient Egypt every civilization has collected proverbs. In the English language, The Proverbs of Alfred, (1150-80), is one of the earliest known collections of proverbs. In North America, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1732-57) by Benjamin Franklin is probably the most celebrated collection of proverbs.Proverbs often contradict one another. The wisdom that advises us to look before we leap also warns us that if we hesitate all is lost; that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight, out of mind. So what can we learn from that? Simply two things: First, life is full of contradictions, and proverbs and maxims reflect and express these disagreements while illustrating that many apothegms are more witty than true; and second, you should have one more resource next to your dictionary and thesaurus wherein you can quickly find a striking quote to support the meaning of your words or make a memorable toast.All of us, not just trial lawyers and lecturers, recite famous quotes and proverbs to better express ourselves. Proverbs are the “Gospel of the Poor.” Folk sayings are the college of the masses. More important: Proverbs are what a people—any people—believe, cherish, and teach their young. They are those harvested crops of knowledge and experience with which the dead dower each generation of the living. Shakespeare has a phrase that runs: “We patch grief with proverbs.” The author has tried to do more than that. He has patched his ignorance and verbal impotence with them. These collected proverbs will help you to lay reason bare, strip all arguments of fat, and clarify complexity beyond its mere interpretation or definition. The author views proverbs as a precious distillation of what many great and wise men have learned from centuries of experience. Aristotle considered apothegms the product of intellectual maturity and, recognizing their enormous power, declared it “unbecoming” for the young to utter maxims!A new feature added to this Second Edition is an entire section on TOASTS & BLESSINGS. From almost every nation in the civilized world, there is at least one and more likely a fistful of blessings or best wishes for you to share with others.As the author’s Uncle Anthony used to say, echoing the sentiments of Peter Anderson, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Roux: “Quotations found in books of that stuff are like bullpens for people —when you find yourself in a jam you can go to your best quote like a good relief pitcher.”The author has included his personal favorites for each category; that is, for almost every topic in this book he has found a perfect gem of an extract from the Bible, Ambrose Bierce, Winston Churchill, Will Rogers, Rumpole of the Bailey, Shakespeare, Star Trek, and Mark Twain; and on purely legal topics he has added two of his all-time heroic wordsmiths: former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Michael A. Musmanno.