Inspiration Books

I bought this, flipped through it a couple of times, then tossed it aside. A few years later, I decided to look through it again. This time, after about 15 pages in, I started to get inspired. I was concurrently redesigning my website, and it spoke to that process and, and also of collaboration. This book may reinvigorate your motivation and inspiration for new media design.

Self appointed maestro trys to teach common sense! If you don't inherently know this then you probably have no business being in this business!

The book was in really good condition, although I did not recieve my book on time. Thanks.

I have read the Process and Inspiration sections thus far and Curtis gives helpful advice in how to succeed in media design.

I'm just starting to learn about design, reading online and checking some books at the library of my college. This book is a great help because it does tell you the key fact that all ideas are there, borrowing is ok to transform something into a new well crafted thing,and you can find inspiration in many, many ways. Many useful information, tips, quotes, in general, I'm gonna buy this book for my collection.

He did a wonderful job with this book. I really feel that I made a good decision buying it.

I have read Osho books back to back and am amazed that his teachings never overlap - his thoughts are fresh - his message clearly stated. I find it very difficult to stop reading Osho.

I can't say in a thousand words what Osho means to me. I would say that Osho is a being that touches the unbelievable.
What you must understand is that Osho talks to a multitude of different kinds of minds and so it is difficult to say which book on him is a good start.
In some readings he explains is approach and methods, in others he just brainwash all your assumptions and false beliefs.
In this book he uncovers the secrets of being born as someone that needs intuition as a way to unlock the confusing tricks of our mind and knowledge.
In other books he talks on intimacy, courage, old religions, traditions and ways of knowledge and plainly explains how to step into the unkown.
And the unkown is not the unknowable, you have to set your mind and your thoughts in a way that whatever you will ever know is mental and cognitive. You are the necessary bondage and the unique reality. And Osho ultimatly makes you think and act for yourself out of inner freedom. You can find it to have more weight or more lightness but the BEING is the same, and his words just make you cool down to abundance.
It makes you think in so many different ways and also gives place to an essence that is not the ego, the false personality produced by external circunstances. In spite of ego he lifts you alone with existence and with your uniqueness and inner freedom.

Celebrate light! Dance with Life!

To have intuition you have to move into a higher level of consciousness and sensitivity. Otherwise, if you are half-sleep as the mayority of people are, it is impossible to understand intuition. Osho is very clear stating that intuition is not an intellectual pursuit or intellectual analysis made with your mind. You have to move beyond the mind, to the "witnessing consciusness" to contact a higher dimension. You cannot buy a book on intuition and expect to have it after you finish reading it. We in the West want everyting ready-made instant coffee. Intuition does not work that way. Osho tells us like it is and I am sorry if somebody is hurt.

Fantastic book. I highly recommend it to any spiritual searcher or even just a casual reader.

Most of the Olivia books are childrens books. This one however is not. This book reminds me of "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuess. This would make an excellent graduation gift.

I bought this book thinking it was an actual story book, but it's really just a book of quotes, that I guess should inspire, but a child couldn't understand their meaning at all.

Simply splendid! In these days when over stimulation seems the norm, it is fresh to witness what can be done with simply colors and no extra detail. Not one line, shading or colour that isn't essential to the story is used. Olivia is, as always, her most expressive and delightful self. Worth the price at twice!

My daughter has followed all of the Olivia books, so I purchased this a preschool "graduation gift." It is NOT a story however, so you must know that before purchasing; it is a book of inspiring quotes enahanced by Olivia illustrations. The message is similar to Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You Will Go!" It was perfect for my daughter--something she can keep on her shelf until she graduates again--from high school, long after she has stopped reading the Olivia storybooks.

When my children were young, I looked in vain for children's books that contained inspirational aphorisms. I wanted to find such books because brief quotes by important historical figures had always played a big role in my life.

I was thrilled to find that Ian Falconer had taken some of his prior drawings of Olivia and selected appropriate inspirational quotes around the theme of "Dream Big." Naturally, there's irony here . . . beginning with the fact that the book is in a very small format, like that of gift books.

Although the book's page size is small, there are thirty quotes and matching images. I thought that the illustrations and quotes were well matched . . . often providing adult humor as well as kiddy laughs. In fact, you'll probably find yourself having an opportunity to explain a few of these quote and illustration combinations (a great chance for bonding with a child) such as "You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note" with a Olivia singing by herself and "Dreams say what they mean, but they don't say it in daytime language" with Olivia dreaming of singing on stage in a red gown. Some of the illustrations also make for good fun, being puns on the quote.

Please realize that there is no story to connect the quotes . . . this book is inspirational rather than story-telling.

Dream Big with Olivia!

This book is incredible! full of such great life changing things, it will change the way you think and the way you view the power of your own thoughts! very remarkable

This book is really wonderful. A definite read. The chapters are short, written in big writing and the message and positive living and her own experiences and her learning makes this an amazing book. Living for Christ and worshiopping and her own beliefs sharing them that has helped her in writing this book and sharing with others how to do and live the same ways for a peaceful and joyous life. I love it and plan on reading this book again.

I am repeatedly blown away by this book! It has been so helpful to me personally, and I share it with those I love. I would read certain sections, and literally, my jaw would drop. This book really put all the pieces together for me; it makes complete sense. I am only 21 and feel I am lucky, not only because my mother gave me this book, but also because I have truly understood it at a relatively young age. "Remembering Wholeness" is eye opening and empowering at the same time. One of my favorite chapters is the one titled, "The Universe is Abundant"...definitely one of those jaw-dropping sections!!
A MUST-READ!!! :)

This book has answered so many long held questions with perfect clarity and understanding.

I've been studing the law of attraction for over 6 years and find this book to fill in the spiritual aspects that seemed to be missing from so many other authors and teachers.

Thank you Carol for your wisdom and gifts.

The concepts of choosing to do things to each other here on earth that would cause us to have to forgive is not a concept of God "brokering" these contracts. That seems a little exaggerated. The idea behind the "little spirit" is simply this. When we choose to see our perpetrators as something other than perpetrators it becomes easier to forgive them.

We choose to do things that require forgiveness all the time, sometimes out of ignorance and regretfully on purpose, but on some level, we CHOSE to do it. Do I believe that we make contracts with each other to inflict pain and suffering before we came to earth? No, but it was a given that we would submit to evil, and do things that would require forgiveness and when we can see our offenders as perfect spirits who have been caught in evil, it is so much easier to forgive and let God handle it.

There is darkness and light in every book written by the hand of man. He who seeks for fault will find it, he who seeks for truth will find it as well. No one should claim this book to be scripture, and ANYTHING written by men is "the philosophies of men mingled with scripture" unless otherwise specified as scripture. Look at the light this book brings. I have had multiple personal experiences of transformational healing for myself my family and my clients as a Rapid Eye Technician and Life Coach. The concepts of this book can bring people to Christ. Carol has a gift in making practical sense out of vague concepts. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water, see the fruits, they are there.

This is now the fourth CLassics book I've read and I have yet to be disappointed. I can't wait to pick up the continuation 50 More Psychology Classics.The Power of Inner Guidance: Seven Steps to Tune In and Turn On

Previously, I read and reviewed Tom Butler-Bowdon's 50 Self-Help Classics and 50 Success Classics and was not surprised to find that his most recently published volume in the "50 Classics" series is their equal in terms of the quality and value of the material provided. Butler-Bowdon employs essentially the same format for the three volumes: brief background on each source, major insights, final comments, and mini-bio of author. The "great thinkers" he discusses in 50 Psychology Classics are also organized in alphabetical order, although I would have preferred (one man's opinion) that they had been organized within discrete thematic clusters, and not in alphabetical order but in terms of sequence of influence. Sigmund Freud followed by Carl Jung and Alfred Adler and then Anna Freud followed by B.F. Skinner, for example. Frankly, as I checked out the table of contents, I was initially surprised to see Edward de Bono, Howard Gardner, Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Goleman, Steven Pinker, Gail Sheehy, and William Styron among the "iconic figures" listed so I read their segments first and, sure enough, Butler-Bowdon explains the inclusion of each.

In the Introduction, he provides an overview on the development of modern psychology as a field of study, once "early titans" (e.g. Williams James, Sigmund Freud, Jung, and Adler) had written books that the general public could understand. Within the Introduction, he also suggests seven themes that offer different perspectives on "who we are, how we think, and what we do" and assigns to each a cluster of relevant commentaries. Readers can then decide which themes are of greatest interest to them, and, on which selections to focus. For example, five sources are suggested for "Tapping the unconscious mind: Wisdom of a different kind." They are:

The Gift of Fear (Gavin de Becker)
My Voice Will Go With You (Milton Erickson by Sidney Rosen)
The Interpretation of Dreams (Sigmund Freud)
Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Carl Jung)

I read some books cover-to-cover sequentially; with others, I hop around back and forth in random fashion; with still others, I read strategically after checking out the table of contents, as I did with this one. My guess (only a guess) is the latter approach will work best for most readers and many may decide what to read and in what order after reviewing the seven thematic clusters in the Introduction. For those who feel overwhelmed by the number of books in print and need help selecting what will be of greatest interest to them, the volumes in the "50 Classics" series will be especially valuable.

I view Butler-Bowdon is an erudite "travel agent" for readers, but also as an enthusiastic "tour guide" who then accompanies them from one "landmark" to the next. One of this book's several value-added benefits is that Butler-Bowdon discusses several authors and works of which many (if not most) of his readers may have been previously unaware. He also does a skillful job of comparing and contrasting perspectives on a specific subject as in this volume, for example, when noting that a "central idea in Adlerian psychology is that individuals are always striving toward a goal. Whereas Freud saw us as driven by what was in our past, Adler had a teleological view - they we are driven by our goals, whether they are conscious or not."

Those who share my regard for this book are urged to check out the other volumes in the "50 Classics" series. To those in business, I also highly recommend several volumes in the Capstone reference series written by Des Dearlove, notably The Ultimate Book of Business Thinking.

This book offers an engaging overview of 50, for the most part, widely popular psychology books as well as short biographies of their authors. Knowing the backgrounds of these psychologists helps to understand where they are coming from and what motivated them to explore a particular area of human mind, or behavior and arrive at particular conclusions.

Some of the authors covered are William James, Sigmund Freud, Karl Gustav Jung, Abraham Maslow, Dr. Milton Erickson (as a hypnotherapist, I was thrilled that he was mentioned here), Robert Cialdini, David Burns, and many others who have contributed not only to the greater understanding of human mind and behavior, but also to creating methods and techniques some appropriate for use within therapeutic environment and others designed to help people to use on their own to cope better with life's challenges, to feel better and to live more satisfying lives.

Tom Butler-Bowdon again provides an informative, passionate, and engaging guide through literature that will improve our lives as well as those around us. His choice of books and their descriptions are brilliant. I wonder what he will come out with next? I always look forward to his books and his enthusiastic and superb style of writing. Tom thanks again for providing us with the knowledge we need in our journey of life.

Highly recommended.

Following on from Tom Butler-Bowdon's previous volumes in the "50 Classics" series, this first class collection of summaries of key psychology books and authors continues in the same broad, accessible, but also in-depth, style.

As the sub-title says, psychology is all about who we are, how we think, what we do. In other words, what it means to be human. Topics covered include the unconscious mind, happiness and mental health, the study of personality, motivation, love, creativity and relationships.

With key "in a nutshell" comments, the author cuts to the essential message of each writer, while addressing more complex subtleties in the accompanying text. As with Tom's other books, there is a very wide range of carefully chosen authors. I had come across several here in an academic context, but in general the emphasis is on popular psychology, "Psychology for nonpsychologists" as the jacket puts it. The range includes RD Laing, Oliver Sacks, Fritz Perls, Ivan Pavlov, Eric Berne, to pick a few random names. The founding fathers such as William James and Sigmund Freud are covered, alongside over a century's worth of contributions right up to Malcolm Gladwell with his 2005 bestseller on the importance of first impressions and split-second judgment.

There is a huge amount of psychological and self-development literature available these days. It can be difficult to know where to begin but each volume in the "50 Classics" is an excellent starting point. "50 Psychology Classics" is another winner in the series and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

My professor had us buy this book for a NT class. I must say, the required readings were interesting and I enjoyed Ehrmans' non-biased views. I would highly recommend this book for any professor looking for a new textbook.

My textbook was in excellent shape and is just what I needed for class. Thanks a lot.

Dr. Ehrman gave me a good review/update. I needed this very much as I earned my degree from seminary in 1958 and so much has happened since then. The book was very readable; it was in tended for his students. I appreciated his bibliography. As an historical overview it does not cover all the material that is necessary for a rounded education. Sometimes his conservative Christian theology creeps in to his evaluation of material. I find his insistance that Jesus is an apocalyptic prophet is unconvincing, and it pervades a good deal of his findings of other New Testament books. That John the Baptist was apocalyptic and that the early Christians had among them people who were apocalyptic is not proof of Jesus' position. I feel it is possible, but nopt probable. Read Crossan or Funk for another view.

Ehrman's agenda is crystal clear. I cannot recall ever having read a more biased piece of "historical" text than this.

Ehrman claims (in his disordered "Historian vs. Believer" section) that he will not try to persuade the reader into believing one thing or another about what he presents. With Ehrman being a proclaimed agnostic ("deconverted" from Christianity, I might add, for the very reason of being exposed to the historical approach that this book is based on!), it is hard to believe that such a statement could hold true. Upon reading the book, one can easily find out that it does not. The reader does not even have to proceed past the first chapter to witness the first signs of Ehrman's lack of committment toward any type of neutrality. The other one-star reviewers are entirely correct in their statements that Ehrman presents a particular idea, and speculatively accepts it as fact. He then proceeds to base entire sections of the book on these perceived historical "truths," for many of which there is no possible way ever to prove them as being so, such as the claim that "Jesus' disciples never do come to understand who he is," an idea that holds as much historical truth as it's counter-claim; yet Ehrman does not only accept the idea as being obviously true, but uses it to establish a whole other set of "truths," each of which have their own ignored flaws. I must ask in light of this particular claim, how does Ehrman consider the passage:

But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

Well, Ehrman concludes that Peter perceived Jesus "only dimly" as the Christ. How? Because Peter rebukes Jesus after he states that he must suffer and die. Therefore Peter misunderstood what kind of messiah Jesus was.

Yes Peter rebuked him, but what if it was only a dissaproval? What if Peter was setting his mind "not on divine things but on human things" through his earthly desire to keep Jesus alive as a good friend? Does this necessarily mean that Peter misunderstood Jesus' messiahship? Ehrman concludes, surely. Others surely doubt it. The fact that Erhman remains so one-sided reveals his true agenda (or at least his ignorance).

Another particular example is Ehrman's claim that "It does not appear that the authors of the early Gospels were eyewitnesses to the events that they narrate." Whether this is true or not, Ehrman not only fails to provide proof of such a claim, let alone some substantial evidence, but continues from that point on as if it were a definitive fact. This is most likely because if he approached the idea correctly (as well as the entire subject of the historical Jesus), as if it were not definitive, the majority of his book would have to be rewritten. Considering who Ehrman is, this would require writing a book that goes against his worldview.

What one gets from reading the book, is that Jesus was just another miracle-working "son of God," claiming to be the messiah (not a crime according to Ehrman), talking about the Son of Man yet to come (also not a crime). So how does Ehrman deal with the fact that Jesus is crucified for blasphemy? Easy. Jesus never commited blasphemy! Rather, the Gospel authors made up that he did because of their own beliefs! So now, what can this say about what Ehrman thinks of Jesus' execution? The obvious answer: either it never happened, or it happened for no apparent reason. This doesn't seem to fit with how scripture reads, but it sounds like a pretty accurate conclusion for someone who takes the Gospels as nothing more than 4 guys making up stories. Remember, these are narratives, but not "real life," as Ehrman states assuredly.

Ehrman also states that ancient writers were not concerned with historical facts but rather with conveying a particular moral truth, simply because modern society is. In addition to such an absurd, ungrounded claim, Ehrman tries to defend the idea using the story of George Washington admitting to cutting down his father's cherry tree. The event never happened, but we Americans today use the story to establish a moral truth (namely, not to lie). Ehrman then concludes that because this story exists, Americans today care more about main ideas than historical accuracy. He then further concludes that this tendency was the same 2000 years ago. Since this is automatiicaly true in Ehrman's mind, it then makes sense to him that historical facts were not only omitted in the New Testament, but "made up"! What's worse than this gross generalization is the obviousness to which Ehrman reveals his agenda...the underminding of Christian scripture, and subsequently Christianity.

Ehrman's technique in persuading the reader towards skepticism is not blatently outright, but rather subtle. He uses specific phrasing, shaky logic, incomplete descriptions and ideas, insufficient development, and somewhat odd organization to create an overall sense of skepticism when considering the accuracy of Christian scripture. He does not challenge Christian scripture outright, but uses gradual development of inconclusive ideas to undermine it's credibility, while completely leaving out any crucial ideas that would support biblical accuracy, or at least other types of biblical inaccuracy. His methodology is very unprofessional, and frankly, somewhat childish. The sad part is that not only is it completely illogical to state that the New Testament is inaccurate as a whole, but the manner in which Ehrman goes about trying to do this is appalilng. I could go on for volumes citing examples of Ehrman's obvious bias, but I find it more important to inform any Christian, and any person (Christian or not) concerned with neutrality within such a genre, to consider another text on the historical approach to the New Testament...not as if any true Christian would be interested in such a subject in the first place.

It is important to realize that most of the historical approach to Jesus can never be definitive in any sense. While it is a "historical" approach, it can never become "history" (unless other ancient manuscripts pop up sometime in the future). Rather, it is grounded wholly on speculation and hypotheses (hence the Four-Source "hypothesis"). MANY prominent scholars and institutions reject the Synoptic Problem and Four-Source hypothesis (including the Roman Catholic Church). There are MANY different solutions to the Synoptic problem. Any "historian" would have to at least acknowledge them. Ehrman fails miserably at maintaining this necessary neutrality.

By now, you are probably steaming. So please, go ahead and click the "No" button next to "Was this review helpful to you?", not because you disagree with the review, but because you're just another internet secularist blindly opposing anything that criticizes ideas representing your worldview, whether the criticism is valid or not. Also, please feel free to comment negatively for the very same reason. Most importantly, realize that if you do either or both of these things, you are simply confirming what I have just put forth. The more the better. Thanks!

The book provides a wealth of background information on the New Testament and New Testament Apocrypha from a strictly historical perspective.
Bart. Ehrman is clearly a master of his subject which he treats from a stictly orthodox point of view.

It is not a "commentary", i.e. it does not take the books verse by verse, and it avoids drawing theological conclusions.

It is a book which needs to be read and not merely used for an occasional references.

It would very useful to1 students who are just beginning a course on theology.

Bart Ehrman is clearly a master of this subject.

very uplifting and inspirational! I will give this book to my patients and friends who are living with cancer in their lives.

The Cancer Prayer & Support Team of the Cicero UMC in Cicero, NY has purchased this book to give to those in our church who have been "touched" by cancer, either in their own life or a family/friend.

This book has received fabulous reviews and we will continue to purchase the book when our current supply is depleted.

I have given this book to many people when they learn of a new diagnosis of cancer. It was given to me 7 years ago when I had lung cancer.
When I opened its pages, I felt like I had found somebody who knew what I was feeling and had written it down. My feelings were now validated. And they were validated with hope. "Hope" was the theme through out the book.
The title says it all.

I have purchased this book for several friends...it is beautifully written and inspiring. It helps you find hope when you truly need it.

This book is great. It offers insight and HOPE. I am not living with cancer yet I have learned so much from this little book. What it has to offer is not little - big in understanding, big in learning, BIG in HOPE.

Step into the world of luscious femininity floating in rich tones and wisdom as deep as the ocean. This is not only a survival guide but a guide to owning all our myriad facets as women and mermaids. A guide to a return to our power as women owning our sensuality. Revel in Margot's sage wisdom and insight and absolutely plunge into the fabulous paintings and experience the world of deep waters and frilly lace, shells and sea creatures, awash in humor and delicacy. An utter delight from beginning to end. A must have for every self respecting landlocked mermaid.

This superb book is filled with tidbits of wisdom and many laughs. What a wonderful present! Each time I read this book a notice a new picture or line that I feel I didnt take in the last time. The dozens of illustrations are beautiful and take the reader to a new playful and surreal land.

This is an absolutely delightful book for mermaid lore lovers! The art work is amazing.....vibrant and fun. The writing is wonderful. This makes a great gift book and is a must for all mermaid lovers!

Wow! I'm blown away by this book. "A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids" is a beautifully illustrated, beautifully produced little gem that should sit on every woman's nightstand. The author uses the archetype of the mermaid to share her journey of self-discovery with the reader. The book is as whimsical and entertaining, as it is wise and thought provoking.

Every page depicts a different mermaid and eloquently describes a correlating life lesson with poignancy and humor. The lessons offer the modern woman sound advice in dealing with her various struggles. Often feeling like fish out of water (or Mermaids out of water), we strive to fit-in - to be all things to all people - to strike a balance in our hectic lives where we're expected to wear many hats simultaneously and wear them all fabulously.

I immediately recognized myself in several of Margot Datz's mermaids and saw my girlfriends in many of the others. I am ordering a copy for every wonderful woman in my life!