Title: Wise Words to Ponder
Subtitle: A Selection of Great Thoughts through Quotes and Verses
Author: Eric Wei
Publisher: PartridgeSingapore
ISBN: 978-1-5437-5991-4
Pages: 90
Genre: Philosophy / Poetry
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

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In Eric Wei’s book Wise Words to Ponder, its subtitle sums up its contents, A Selection of Great Thoughts through Quotes and Verses. This is a collection of great thoughts which are crisp, clear, and insightful, of which they seem to transcend time, generations and even cultures. As it is said, “Good advice, well taken, is the sign of an intelligent man,” Wise Words to Ponder brings together a wealth of educational wisdom within these pages. Divided into three categories: Quotes, Humor, and Verses, this book pages as if readers’ minds are being bombarded with distilled wisdom in the quotes, intellectually tickled with the humor, and entertained with the clever verses.

For example, “Life begins when a person first realizes how soon it ends,” was quoted by Marcelene Cox. She should know, as Marcelene Cox lived to the ripe old age of 99 years, passing away in 1998. We’ve heard, Today is yesterday’s tomorrow,” but here’s a twist: “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” So, don’t worry. “Don’t put off till tomorrow what can be done today. Why not give yourself another week?” But most people will agree with, “The secret of getting things done is doing them now.” As I have learned in carpentry, “Measure twice, cut once.” This book elaborates to, “Think twice, act once.” While we’re counting, “To teach is to learn twice.” Also, it is true, “No action is action of itself,” yet in the book it is written, “Not to decide is to decide.” Finally, from this section is good advice to all, “Be a pianist, not a piano.”

Moving onto the humorous side, I particularly chuckled at this, “All work and no pay make Jill a housewife.” Also, who wouldn’t agree with comedian Jackie Mason when he said, “Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.” Whatever your sense of humor enjoys, “Coffee isn’t my cup of tea” says it all. In the verses section, one which made me read twice is: When you came to this world, you cried and everyone else smiled. You should so live your life such that when you leave, everyone else will cry, but you will be smiling. ~ Indian Wisdom

About 600 quotes and 100 verses comprise this collection which has mostly thoughts unknown to the masses of readers, and done in a layout such this book can be picked up and opened at any page, then put down, paused, and opened again at a later opportunity. Reading it in one sitting is quite a challenging flow of powerful thoughts, so I believe it is better to do it in stages.

When reading through Wise Words to Ponder, you will ponder at the depth of the philosophy, wisdom and humor Eric Wei has assembled. If you are enjoying quotes and verses or want to be inspired, then I highly recommend purchasing the Wise Words to Ponder. The book would make a great birthday or Christmas gift for an avid reader or someone who enjoys journaling. This is a truly enjoyable book.