'Brevity is the soul of wit ... a miscellany of mottos and maxims' is all that and much more. Lots of quotations, of course, with plenty of commentary.In the foreword, you'll read this: 'Anyone claiming to identify the origin of quotations is entering a minefield. It's not something I would have the courage to do, but it needed to be done because the Internet has allowed the spread of so much misinformation about who said what ...'Quotations matter, because they sum up a great deal in very little. It's a book for dipping into. Keep it by the side of your bed. Or read it while your love object is watching Match of the Day. It has given me great pleasure. It will do the same for you.'And finally ...'Good things, when short, are twice as good.''Men's maxims reveal their characters.'You'll find those two, plus hundreds more, in these pages.