ANECDOTES,
QUOTATIONS,
AND TRIVIA
OF GREAT
THINKERS
AND
ARTISTS
STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Slowly but surely, I am working on this website (currently with COMPOSERS). There will be updates at least on weekly basis.
PHYSICISTS & MATHEMATICIANS
(completed 5/23/03)
COMPOSERS
(completed 8/04/03)
PHILOSOPHERS
(in progress)
ARTISTS
WRITERS
SEARCH THIS SITE
WHAT IS THIS WEBPAGE ALL ABOUT?
When I was a kid, I received a gift book which was the collection of anecdotes and trivia regarding famous people. It became my favorite book, being the source of much delight and insight, but eventually I lost it.
Since then I always felt that while anedotes and trivia are naturally nothing more than trivial, they present human side of those famous people from history that we know only in distance and often in awe. In a pithy paragraphy or even in a sentence, they can speak volumes. And while most anecdotes are undoubtedly apocryphal, they are believable because they capture the essence of the subject. And most of all, they are fun stories.
Later I've been looking for anecdotes on the internet and in books only to find that they are rather scarce and mostly concern vain celebrities, warmongers and fat cats, who are in my humble opinion the least interesting people.
So I decided to put together on this hompage all the anecdotes of thinkers and creative minds that I come across. This page is still under the construction, but I hope you will enjoy these as I did. Of course, any new anecdote is welcome.
DISCLAIMER:
I. Even the best documented anecdotes are in most cases exaggerated or outright fabricated stories. None of these anecdotes should be thought any more seriously than tabloid stories. (Read this essay on anecdotes. Even though this piece deals with anecdotes in psychiatrical setting, it applies to anecdotes in general, too.)
II. Even if they were true, the anecdotes tend to accentuate certain aspect that may not be representative of the whole story. It would sadden me great deal if visitors to this site come away learning these great people only through the anecdotes. For this reason, I made every effort to link to other informational websites, and I urge everyone to explore these recommended sites.
These anecdotes are intended to be merely an entertaining, irreverent way of breaking ice, so to speak, that they may serve as window to these sites.
III. Effort has been made to identify anecdotes known to be false as such and provide sources if available, but this personal website does not pretend to be up to high standard that you might expect in books or professional websites.
IV. Generally speaking, first-person accounts and direct quotes were rendered as closely as possible. Much of secondhand accounts are paraphrased or abridged. If you believe that any anecdote or quotation violates a copyright you hold or represent, please inform me by posting in the message board or guestbook. It will be removed upon notification.
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