Thousands of wryly amusing quotations on every conceivable aspect of life, arranged thematically Topics covered range from acting to writing, from happiness to poverty, and from civilisation to sex Represents the biting wit and world-weary wisdom of cynics from all walks of life and all periods of history, including Aesop, Simone de Beauvoir, Noel Coward, Bette Davis, Albert Einstein and Frederick the Great to name but a few Full author index