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The 365 Most Famous Quotes of All Time
A study of humanity’s most brilliant, collected wisdom in 27 categories, backed by data and with real sources
“Things of quality have no fear of time.”
When I posted that first, anonymous quote to my Facebook page 11 years ago, I had no idea I would become a writer, let alone one who depends on lines like this for a living.
Since then, I have written two academic theses, two books, and over 2,000 individual articles. More than 500 of those pieces form the backbone of Four Minute Books, a collection of over 1,000 short but high-quality book summaries that has attracted over 18 million readers to date.
Across all of those projects, I’ve been what I was raised to be: a stickler for the details. It might be my German roots, my mom’s talent for keeping an impeccable household that rubbed off on me, or my introvert tendency to spend most of my time observing, but when I read something, I’m hell-bent on the content matching the label on the box.
When I became a writer, that attitude naturally extended into my own work. If I’m critical of others’ writing, then my own writing better be airtight as well! That’s why I rewrite movie scenes word for word, quote extensively from the books I summarize, and add long…
