Phrased and Confused: The World's Great Quotations and What They (Really) Mean

'Brilliant, revelatory and erudite. Like all the best books it lets you see the familiar world in a new way' Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon

'Enlightening' Steven Pinker

Hell is other people. You are what you eat. Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?

We read them, perhaps give a knowing chuckle, and move on with next to no thought. But what do these timeless and iconic quotations really mean?

Thankfully, language and philosophy obsessive Eli Burnstein is on hand to unpack forty-five of humanity's most iconic statements with lightness and wit. From Aristotle to Hannah Arendt, William Blake to Simone de Beauvoir, each delightfully illustrated entry will improve your grasp of the meaning behind their riddlesome words, and deepen your appreciation for the big ideas they stand for.