I’m continually amazed by the variety of books that we get sent and the latest one is no exception. Black Cab Wisdom is a fun little project taken on by London Black Cab Driver Mark Soloman.
Over a period of years, he randomly asked his fare paying passengers their most favorite quotes – whether it was their own quote or the quotes of others.
He wrote down his favorites and culled them together in this fun look at modern London.
Simply, it’s a book of quotes. Some are original – some were said by others. The book helpfully identifies which is which in case you get interested in further research. It has a fun, accessible design that leads to scanning the page pretty easily. There are no long passages and no photography – it’s just quotes and doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
What the book is, really, is an interesting look at the thoughts and culture of modern day London. You can an insight into what Londoners and visitors think – how they see the world and it’s rather voyeuristic to get a peak at the thoughts that mean the most to people.
It definitely provides a snapshot in time of early 21st century London. There’s a mix of quotes from celebrities and regular people as well as well known personalities so there’s a wide range of people quoted.
Here are my favorite quotes:
- “You only get out of life what you put into it.” Cilla Black
- “You could be sad that roses have thorns, or rejoice that thorns have roses.” Alaa, Student
- “You do not have to be great to get started, but you have to start off to be great.” Minesh, Student
- “The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” Paul Valery
- “Success does not make you happy, but happiness makes you successful.” Anita, Doctor
Black Cab Wisdom was published in the UK late last year and was just released for sale in the USA this month.
The Author, Mark Soloman, also runs a blog where he posts the latest quotes direct from his cab.
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Author: Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.