By Josephine Agbonkhese

When in search of sagely sayings, enriched with wisdom, sound knowledge, edifying truths and instructive messages among others which could  make life more meaningful and challenging, the book, ‘Memorable Quotes’ by Mr. Adam Babatunde Akande, retired diplomat and elder statesman, becomes one among others.

Akande’s ‘Memorable Quotes’ is a compilation of over 5,000 witty sayings from philosophers, social crusaders, clerics, sages, great politicians, professionals, academics, leaders, saints, and great teachers among others.

Painstakingly put together by the author to provide sound moral teaching and instructions to readers,   Akande’s ‘quotes’ are probing and challenging.

Akande’s book of memorable quotes is segmented into phases, based on the issues of life being illuminated. These segments include: God and religion, life and death, ambition and enthusiasm, appreciation, character, charity and kindness, family, courage, freedom, justice and judgment, friendship, growth, growing youth, happiness, knowledge and education, among others.

The segments are presented in chapters and in each of these chapters, there are at least hundred memorable quotes to illuminate the idea(s) chosen.

In Chapter one for instance, God and Religion are given significant illumination with quotes that are quite enlightening, enlivening and pondering.

To grasp a deeper understanding of the nature of God, His relationship with humans and how humans could relate better with Him among others, quotes are drawn from many great books of religion, leadership, philosophy, politics as written by poets, sages such as Plato, Aristotle, great leaders and philosophers, scientists, writers, clerics, and academics among others. So also are probing quotes presented to explain the concept of religion to mankind.

Here is a taste of some of them: “They, who love God with all their hearts, find that His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. Such joys, such brim-full delights, such overflowing blessedness do the saints discover in their Lord-C.H Spurgeon “And another: “We should speak to God from our own hearts and talk to Him as a child talks to his father-C.H Spurgeon

In Chapter two, Akande unearths the concept of life and death so deeply that the reader would be awed on discovering the purposes of life and the significance of the inevitability of death. A few of the quotes would help throw light into this assertion:

“Your life is like a book, the title is your name, the preface your introduction to the world. The pages are a daily record of your efforts, trials, pleasures, discouragement and achievements, day by day, your thoughts and acts are being inscribed in your book of life.”

From chapters four to twelve, Akande makes his reader get a grasp of such concepts as appreciation, courage, happiness, truth, family, justice, judgement, charity, kindness, and friendship and such like. His quotes here make the reader fully understand these virtues as part of what make life meaningful, joyous and challenging. With the quotes presented to explain the concepts, the reader is encouraged to cherish his life and make it more beautiful, eventful and enjoyable by observing the moral and spiritual instructions passed across through the quotes.

Hence:  “A truth that is told with bad intent, beats all the lies you can invent-William Blake.

From chapters thirteen to thirty, weightier issues and ideas of life such love, power, sex, leadership, nature, peace and conflicts, women and beauty, race, truth and lies, wealth, success, poverty and wisdom among others are given generous attention with quotes that expatriate on them, thus; “when a man’s knowledge is not in order, the more knowledge he has the greater will be his confusion-Herbert Spencer.”

“Knowledge by itself does not give understanding. Nor is understanding increased by increase of knowledge alone. Understanding depends upon the relation of knowledge to being. Understanding is the resultant of knowledge and being.”

According to Akande, the desire to hand out enduring and edifying values made him to compile the quotes.