Upon its publication, George Seldes's The Great Thoughts instantly took its place as a classic--a treasure house of the seminal ideas that have shaped the intellectual history of the world down through the ages. Seldes, a pivotal figure in the history of American journalism and a tireless researcher, spent the better part of his extraordinary lifetime compiling the thoughts that rule the world, casting his net widely and wisely through the essential works of philosophy, poetry, psychology, economics, politics, memoirs, and letters from the ancient Greeks to the modern Americans. Now Seldes's splendid and important work has been revised and updated to include the great thoughts that have changed our world in the decade since the book's first appearance. Quotations from leaders as varied as Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa, Yitzak Rabin, Newt Gingrich, and Jesse Jackson reflect the radical shifts in the world political scene. Toni Morrison and Cornel West speak out on the enduring vitality of African-American culture. Alvin Toffler and Arthur C. Clarke give us a glimpse into the future. Gloria Steinem and Monique Wittig define the motives and the goals of late twentieth-century feminism. Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, and Wallace Stegner ponder the meaning of wilderness in an increasingly populated and industrialized world. These and scores of other thinkers in all major disciplines have added their voices to this new edition of The Great Thoughts. USA Today praised the first edition of The Great Thoughts as "a browser's delight." The work of a lifetime, brought up-to-date to reflect the global upheaval of the past decade, The Great Thoughts stands alone as an enduring achievement and an invaluable resource.

All living organisms are like biological robots. Their physical actions, organic capabilities and senses are firmly and very narrowly limited and so programmed in the DNA. Brain, the master controller of the living system, is as susceptible to external and internal stresses as all other bodily components. The brain is also abode of the mind, and the mind is the embodiment of thoughts. The scientific observation that brain and mind die simultaneously is irrefutable. Wherein the brain the mind parks itself is a mystery. The brain is more intricate than the universe and the mind exceeds the brain in complexity. Billions of neurons and trillions of synapses keep on firing, acting, reacting, storing, and communicating to and from sensory organs as long as the structure of the brain is not damaged, diseased, or dead. Brain, when overloaded with its electric charge due to intense mental activity, can explode like a bomb. Five people are known to have died when their brains blew up because of the condition called Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis (HCE). The most recent death occurred when psychic Barbara Nicole's skull burst. Chess Champion Nikolai Titov's head suddenly blew apart when he was concentrating on his move. The brain endures many mini explosions without shattering. HCE kills rarely, but sickens very often. All evil emotions cause stronger HCE than pleasant thoughts do.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.