The Waste Books
by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg · 1800
Buy on Amazon"German scientist and man of letters Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was an 18th-century polymath: an experimental physicist, an astronomer, a mathematician, a practicing critic both of art and literature. He is most celebrated, however, for the casual notes and aphorisms that he collected in what he called his Waste Books. With unflagging intelligence and encyclopedic curiosity, Lichtenberg wittily deflates the pretensions of learning and society, examines a range of philosophical questions, and tracks his own thoughts down hidden pathways to disconcerting and sometimes hilarious conclusions.…
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"This collection of aphorisms and observations, written over decades, fits Derek Sivers's interest in concise wisdom and the power of distilled thought. It aligns with his own practice of sharing detailed, reflective notes."
Derek Sivers's 10/10 Books · sive.rs