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Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It: Wisdom of the Great Philosophers on How to Live Paperback – 2 May 2017
by Daniel Klein (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 637 ratings
A humorous and philosophical trip through life, from the New York Times-bestselling coauthor of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .
Daniel Klein's fans have fallen in love with the warm, humorous, and thoughtful way he shows how philosophy resonates in everyday life. Readers of his popular books Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . and Travels with Epicurus come for enlightenment and stay for the entertainment.
As a young college student studying philosophy, Klein filled a notebook with short quotes from the world's greatest thinkers, hoping to find some guidance on how to live the best life he could. Now, from the vantage point of his eighth decade, Klein revisits the wisdom he relished in his youth with this collection of philosophical gems, adding new ones that strike a chord with him at the end of his life. From Epicurus to Emerson and Camus to the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr--whose words provided the title of this book--each pithy extract is annotated with Klein's inimitable charm and insights. In these pages, our favorite jokester-philosopher tackles life's biggest questions, leaving us chuckling and enlightened.
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What are popular highlights?
The meaning of life is not something we look for, it is something we create.
Highlighted by 115 Kindle readers
But the main reason we keep ducking the responsibility of self-creation is that it is super scary. If I am the master of my fate and my fate does not turn out so well, I have no one to blame but myself.
Highlighted by 58 Kindle readers
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Review
Praise for Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It
"A refreshingly spontaneous plunge into deep thought." - Booklist
"While philosophy is often seen as no laughing matter, Klein's book is an argument that it can and should be...It's hard to imagine a better guide." - Matt Staggs, Biographile
"A delightful book that is easily applicable to any stage of life. Even when explaining the underlying theories behind a quote, the author's writing is understandable for readers who have no prior philosophy background. Yet, philosophy students will also enjoy seeing the discipline applied to everyday life." - Library Journal
"Daniel Klein has now gifted up with a compendium of wisdom - quotes from the world's greatest philosophers, often with a light touch." - Ann LaFarge, Hudson Valley News
"This book not only offers a dazzling display of the superlative human thought on issues of human existence but also brings those we are not even consciously aware of into focus." - Business Standard
Praise for Travels with Epicurus
"An insightful meditation." - The New York Times Book Review
"Along the way, Klein touches on the ideas of Bertrand Russell, Erik Erikson, Aristotle, and William James. Klein's narrative is a delightful and spirited conversation, offering up the ingredients inherent to the art of living well in old age." - Publisher's Weekly
"Charming and accessible, this philosophical survey simply and accessibly makes academic philosophy relevant to ordinary human emotion." - Kirkus Review
"Witty and wry" - Huffington Post
"A lovely little book with both heart and punch." - Booklist
"A delightful book that is easily applicable to any stage of life. Even when explaining the underlying theories behind a quote, the author's writing is understandable for readers who have no prior philosophy background. Yet, philosophy students will also enjoy seeing the discipline applied to everyday life." - Laura Hiatt-Smith, Library Journal
"A charming meditation on aging. Daniel Klein takes us on a thought-provoking journey." - The Weekly Standard Book Review
"Reading this book after a period of overwork and high stress, I was bowled over by its easy charm and hard-won wisdom. I shall be buying it in bulk as presents for my equally overburdened peers, and I suspect a few older people will enjoy it, too." - Markus Berkmann, The Daily Mail
"If you think philosophy is hard stuff that makes your head spin and possibly hurt, Klein is the perfect guide to deep thinking. Being fully aware and wondering how best to spend our time are useful practices at any age, and this warm, thought-provoking book is a terrific introduction to thinking about life philosophically." - Concord Monitor
http: //www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/solving-life-s-mysteries-with-ancient-and-modern-wisdom-book-review-116113000191_1.html
About the Author
Daniel Klein is the author of the London Times bestseller Travels with Epicurus and, with Thomas Cathcart, the New York Times and international bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . . A graduate of Harvard in philosophy, he lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife, Freke Vuijst.
Product details
Publisher : Penguin Books; Annotated edition (2 May 2017)
Language : English
Paperback : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0143129597
ISBN-13 : 978-0143129592
Dimensions : 1.78 x 12.7 x 17.53 cmBest Sellers Rank: 388,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)513 in Humanist Philosophy
1,171 in Humour Essays
1,415 in Philosophy of Consciousness & ThoughtCustomer Reviews:
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 637 ratings
About the author
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Daniel M. Klein
Daniel Martin Klein (born 1939 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, and humor. His most notable work is Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar co-written with Thomas Cathcart. It was a New York Times bestseller and is translated into 26 languages.
Klein went to school at Harvard College where he received a B.A. in philosophy. After a brief career in television comedy, he began writing books, ranging from thrillers and mysteries to humorous books about philosophy. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and is married to Freke Vuijst, American correspondent for the Dutch newsweekly, ‘Vrij Nederland’.
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Top reviews from Australia
Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Great bookReviewed in Australia on 6 January 2024
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Easy to read. Most enjoyable!
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John Davies (Dr)
5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy in your comfort zone.Reviewed in Australia on 25 May 2017
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Well written and engaging, maybe a little too much of himself in it. But he does lead you through how philosophers have tried to examine the meaning of life. The question is still open!
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John Murray
4.0 out of 5 stars Become a philosopherReviewed in Australia on 26 January 2017
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Very good summary of many philosophers points of view. I am able to sound s if I am better read by quoting so many philosophers. Must be read in bite size chunks t absorb each philosophy.
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Jeffrey Bentley-Johnston
5.0 out of 5 stars Making sense of ethicsReviewed in Australia on 28 December 2015
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An informative, yet light-hearted review of ethics starting with the ancient Greeks and ranging through to the modern French.
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rodney moore
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and thought provoking.Reviewed in Australia on 7 May 2017
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Succinct, chatty, and encompasses a wide range of philosophies over time. Offers an honest account of the writer's own journey.
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Muy buena calidad.
5.0 out of 5 stars BuenoReviewed in Mexico on 10 July 2023
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Llego rápido y esta en excelente condición
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Hermann110255
4.0 out of 5 stars Anekdotische Philosophie eines Alt- 68ers...Reviewed in Germany on 9 February 2024
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Da hat er schon ziemlich ins Blaue philosophiert, der gute Daniel Klein. Aber das versteht er ja meisterhaft: Man nehme einen klugen Satz (aus klassischer Philosophie oder Elementarteilchenphysik) und dann losassoziiert, mit Lebensweisheiten und Erinnerungen eines unkonventionellen Werdegangs gespickt. Autobiographisch angereichert, amüsant, lesenswert, aber mit begrenztem Erkenntnisgewinn. Für Zwischendurch besser als das philosophische Quartett, aber eine Linie findet man höchstens in der chaotischen Vita des Autors. Was selbiger sicher nicht bestreiten würde, sondern intendiert: Anekdoten eines reflektierten amerikanischen 68ers. Nicht mehr, aber auch nicht weniger.
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Loirette
5.0 out of 5 stars A sense of research is essential!Reviewed in France on 15 May 2023
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I bought this book for my husband and it kept him interested for as long as he took to read it.
Whether you are introspective or an extrovert, there is a message for everyone in the text! A series of pithy quotes by philosophers through the ages.
Excellent author is Daniel Klein
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Hernan Acosta
5.0 out of 5 stars Great boookReviewed in Canada on 20 October 2020
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I believe it is a great addition to his previous books
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Vincent Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars YOLOReviewed in the United States on 23 January 2020
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My brother says I stay too much in my head and over think things. Bah! - no matter. I bought this book anyway. If you are like me and love to read about searching for meaning in this life, even if just added reinforcement when life gets you down, well this book is where it's at. It's light and funny and just deep enough for you to wade all the way through without feeling like you are in the deep end. The chapters start off with an excellent quote from a philosopher and then a few pages about how the author agrees, applies or wrangles with it. Highly enjoyable, relatable, and applicable. Highly Recommended for anyone above the age of 15.
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