The words we live by
Subtitle: the creeds, mottoes, and pledges that have shaped America
By: Brian Burrell.
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 369
Subjects: National characteristics, American -- Quotations, maxims, etc.; Conduct of life -- Quotations, maxims, etc.; Social values -- United States -- Quotations, maxims, etc.
Description: Brian Burrell's splendid collection shows that many of the phrases we once lived by can still have resonance today. A comprehensive, fascinating treasure trove of American common sense and whimsy, The Words We Live By presents a sentimental rediscovery of a lost era in American history.

Burrell's work was inspired by his father, an obsessive collector of words and a chronic nostalgia buff who traveled widely with his family, introducing them to the landmarks, monuments, and other symbols of America's past. Throughout his life, he clipped or wrote down memorable phrases, quotes, mottoes, and quips, both the silly and the profound, the playful and the maudlin.

Burrell has lovingly compiled his father's collection of scrapbooks, complementing them with extraordinary research into the origins of America's civic ethics, to produce a truly memorable and inspirational work of historical reference. More than just a compendium of classic American wit and wisdom, The Words We Live By brings this material to life with poignantly told stories, forgotten anecdotes, and deeply considered meditations on the meaning of the words that have shaped the American nation.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-351) and index.