Wisdom of the Ages
A Modern Master Brings Eternal Truths into Everyday Life
-
-
4.4 • 13 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
National Bestseller
This inspiring book by Wayne Dyer, author of the bestselling classics Your Erroneous Zones and Pulling Your Own Strings, delves into the teachings of intellectuals of our past to mine values and wisdom for the present.
"What do our ancestral scholars, whom we consider the wisest and most spiritually advanced, have to say to us today?" asks Dyer. The answer lies in this powerful collection of writings, poems, and sayings by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twenty-five centuries. In succinct original essays, Dyer sets out to explain the meaning and context of each piece of wisdom, and, most important, to explain how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives. From sixty ancestral masters – Buddha, Michelangelo, Rumi, Whitman, Jesus, Emily Dickinson, and Emerson, among others – here are treasured passages on a variety of subjects, including solitude, time, and passion. Among the contributions are words on inspiration from Pantanjali, author of the Hindu classic Yoga Sutras; teachings about the power of prayer from 13th-century monk St. Francis of Assisi; and thoughts about the importance of action written by Mother Teresa.
The voices collected here cut across a wide range of historical eras and cultures, yet they communicate universal truths about the human experience. Wisdom of the Ages provides us with a marvelous dual opportunity: to receive guidance from our great ancestors and to recognize our own potential for greatness
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veteran self-help author and speaker Dyer (Manifest Your Destiny, etc.) chooses a new format in which to present his familiar material. Here, he offers essays inspired by 60 quotations from poetry and literature that express "life's greatest lessons." Intended as a daily inspirational, each essay focuses on a topic such as patience, leadership, divinity, prayer, grief, humanity, nonconformity, enthusiasm and forgiveness. The quotes are mostly recognizable, from such luminaries as Emerson, Thoreau, Shelley, Shakespeare, Yeats, Kipling, Melville and Shaw. Within this collection dominated by white men are a few surprises, including words from Chief Seattle, Confucius, Langston Hughes and Dorothy Parker. Each essay contains some biographical information about the source and is followed by suggestions for practicing the principle expressed in the quote and Dyer's discussion, such as "reverence for nature" and "unity consciousness." Dyer's pieces are of uneven quality, sometimes vague and undeveloped, simplistic or lacking the clear compassion and positive view required to offer readers genuine help or encouragement. Although the quotations themselves are inspiring, overall, Dyer's ruminations add little of worth.
