The Humanist’s Devotional: 366 Daily Meditations from Some of the World’s Greatest Thinkers

Author and illustrator Jessica Hagy has extracted famous sayings from the Yale Book of Quotations and the Forbes Book of Quotations and selectively paired them together to form themes of thoughts. Filling a leap year’s quota of three hundred sixty-six days, that number of pages contains paired phrases from different eras that connect to a common image. Using squiggles, arrows, circles, loops, and other selected markers, the bold-faced aphorisms are highlighted to stimulate thoughts about the vagaries of the world and how we relate to one another. Tidbits from Whitman, Glen Gould, Comte, Disraeli, Michelangelo, Erica Jong and so many other personalities from the past and present have something to say that will cause the reader to stop and reflect on the variety of experiences. Each source cleverly links with another along this chain of thoughtful adages, smoothing the continuity of the meditations. While the book may appeal to contemplative readers, its format is more closely that of a daily calendar, each page holding thoughtful ideas. I would prefer to see it as a spiral bound version with easily flippable pages accompanied by an array of colored markers to match the hue of the mood with the tone of the message.