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Within quotes

Quotations have always been a source of great help - and strength - to writers, raconteurs and philosophers. Often we see them lacing their works and discourses with `quotable quotes' to impress their audience and drive home their point. As quotations and adages have come to possess an aura of invincibility, they seem very effective and even sacrosanct. And even as the market is awash with any number of books on quotations, here comes yet another book, "Understanding: The Universal Solvent" - brought out by Bridge Publications - on quotations from the works of L. Ron Hubbard, a widely acclaimed author. Famous for his self-help book "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health", the book that shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list way back in the 1950s, Hubbard proves through his works a first-hand knowledge of the nature of man. As the author says, "One doesn't learn about life by sitting in an in ivory tower, thinking about it, one learns about life by being part of it."

Clear divisions

The book has been neatly divided into a variety of topics dealing with such subjects as understanding, communication, survival, goals, happiness, human relationships and truth, etc. The strength of the book lies in the fact that while most writers `borrow' quotes, Hubbard has created his own, and how tellingly! It basically stems from his observation of life, and from his power of understanding flows the torrent of words of wisdom. His keen sense of observation manifests profoundly in very many appealing quotes like, "It is a truism that if we could understand all life, we would then tolerate all life", "Understanding is the universal solvent, it washes away everything", "Often sought, but seldom found, there are no riches, gems or palaces as valued as mere happiness", "The right of a person to survive is directly related to his honesty". Though a lot of quotes appear to be quite routine, falling into the `oh, we know that stuff' kind, the book itself is pretty meaningful and one is actually tempted to use a famous quote - of course what else can we mere mortals do to illustrate our point - "The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most." This book perhaps falls in this category.

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