Words to Live By: The Origins of Conventional Wisdom and Commonsense Advice

“Honesty is the best policy.” “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.” These familiar sayings have become part of our collective memory and embody the values we hold in common – but where did they come from? With his obsessive curiosity and relentless detectives skills, Charles Panati tracks the origins of gems of folk wisdom that have found their way into American culture. From far-ranging sources – Aesop to the Bible, Ben Franklin to Broadway – “Words To Live By” maps the diverse streams that have flowed together into the rich traditions of popular wisdom and commonsense. As usual, Charles Panati makes the journey seriously informative, endlessly entertaining, and full of surprises.