false 6396623 2 <blockquote> <p> If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. </p> <p> If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people. </p> <p> If you can't be kind, at least be vague. </p> </blockquote> <p> An <i>aphorism</i> is a pithy observation that attempts to communicate a truth about the human experience, often with a dash of wit. History's greatest thinkers and writers have viewed the aphorism as a potent tool, and it is remarkable how many of their most memorable observations have been introduced with the biggest little word in the human language: <i>If</i>. These <i>ifferisms</i>, as they have been dubbed by quotation anthologist Dr. Mardy Grothe, demonstrate the powerful role that hypothetical and conditional thinking play in our lives. </p> <p> This novel compendium of wisdom, wit, and wordplay presents nearly two thousand quotations that all begin with the word <i>if</i>. Alongside history's most famous sayings, readers will find—and often learn the fascinating story behind—such modern classics as "If you build it, they will come" and "If anything can go wrong, it will." In chapters on sex, love, sports, politics, advice, gender dynamics, and more, quotation lovers will savor scintillating observations from the usual suspects—Twain, Wilde, Shaw, Emerson, and Franklin—as well as scores of contemporary wits and wordsmiths. </p> 6585271 1 9 2009 Ifferisms: An Anthology of Aphorisms That Begin with the Word "IF" total:2|4:1|3:1| 2 7 9 1 6878736 2 1 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6878736-ifferisms 3 0 false Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 13:11:25 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 07 13:54:23 -0800 2009 6396623 0061672300 9780061672309 0 0 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6396623-ifferisms 0 0 false Mon Nov 09 19:04:54 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 19:04:54 -0800 2009 6396623 0061672300 9780061672309 0 0 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6396623-ifferisms 0 0 false Sat Oct 17 08:14:27 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 08:14:27 -0700 2009 6396623 0061672300 9780061672309 0 0 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6396623-ifferisms 0 0 false Fri Oct 16 14:17:36 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 14:17:36 -0700 2009 6878736 2 1 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6878736-ifferisms 4 0 false Sun Sep 27 21:44:29 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 07 13:54:23 -0800 2009 6878736 2 1 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6878736-ifferisms 0 0 false Thu Sep 24 11:05:59 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 07 13:54:23 -0800 2009 6878736 2 1 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6878736-ifferisms 0 0 false Wed Sep 16 14:49:44 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 07 13:54:23 -0800 2009 6396623 0061672300 9780061672309 0 0 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6396623-ifferisms 0 0 false Thu Jul 23 12:22:37 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 12:22:37 -0700 2009 6396623 0061672300 9780061672309 0 0 3.50 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6396623-ifferisms 0 0 false Sun Apr 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 11:45:46 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 11:48:51 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6396623