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"Even while a thing is in the act of coming into existence, some part of it has already ceased to be." -Marcus Aurelius, 2nd Century
"Religions are kept alive by heresies, which are really sudden explosions of faith." -Gerald Brenan
"The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship." -Blake
"Until death, it is all life." -Cervantes
"Liberty is the right to do what the law permits." -Montesquieu
"Oh well, no matter what happens, there's always death." -Napoleon

In 'The Oxford Book of Aphorisms', John Gross selects a wide variety of aphorisms that are placed into 58 categories, such as: Mankind, Life, Self-Doubt, Friends & Foes, Happiness & Sorrow, Illusion & Reality, Death, and The Afterlife.
Each category usually runs under 10 pages or so of collected aphorisms. This facilitates ease of research when seeking views on a particular topic.
In the chapter on aphorisms, we find: 'A perfectly healthy sentence is extremely rare'. Indeed, this is a rare book.

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Gross has a pleasant, low-key style and, it seemed to me, a realistic take on childhood and its memories.

For me, one of Gross's most powerful qualities is his modesty (almost self-deprecation) as his memoir proceeds through such volatile times. For example, on the matter of anti-Semitism, he observes that "to have had a religious upbringing at least assures that in your own mind you are a Jew first, and the object of other people's dislike second." Young Gross seems to have been spared the ordeal of what other Jews his age experienced during the Third Reich. With regard to his own faith, "for many Jews, whatever the larger historical balance sheet, anti-Semitism is the heart of the matter, the only significant reason why they still feel Jewish." I was also deeply moved by his portrayal of his father, Avraham ben Oser, who became a doctor. The adult Gross very closely resembles that wise and generous man. It is not so much that father and son tolerate anti-Semitism; rather, that they absorb it and thereby deprive it of any legitimacy.
Frequently as I read this book, I wondered what their conversations would have discussed had young Andras Grof emigrated to London rather than to New York and become friends with young Gross. (Grof changed his name to Grove and later served as CEO of Intel Corporation. I highly recommend his own memoir, Swimming Across.) The balance of Gross's engaging and eloquent autobiography reveals his thoughts and feelings about the Cold War years during which Stalin executed so many Jewish artists and writers. He also comments insightfully on T.S. Eliot ("who may be a great poet but he isn't greater than the Jewish people") and W.H. Auden whose social values are more compatible with Gross's own. There is great sensitivity in this book but almost no sentimentalism. Were a higher rating available, I would gratefully give it to this unique and compelling personal narrative.

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Also, I have used this as a guideline when I consulted a small group that needed help with internal controls.



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The book is arranged into chapters of quotations about Shakespeare himself, his plays, his poetry, his influence in foreign lands, his appearance in novels, plays, movies, and adaptations of his works. There is considerable overlap, as many of these divisions are quite subjective. And the collection isn't all quips; there are lengthy excerpts of plays, novels, and essays. The quotes that appeal to me are the pithiest ones, however. King George III is recorded in a courtier's diary as complaining how rubbishy much of Shakespeare is, though one musn't say so. William Hazlitt contrasts the greatness of the Bard's work with the teeming insignificance of the critical writings that sprung up about him. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg marvels at how Shakespeare uses remarkable turns of phrase, which other writers would highlight, as throwaway lines.
But there's doubtless treasure in every chapter here for any Shakespeare lover. A fine, fun collection by a great, erudite anthologist.

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