Eli Burnstein - Phrased and Confused

“I think therefore I am”
“The exception proves the rule”
“Money is the root of all evil”
“You are what you eat”
“Ignorance is bliss” 

We all know the quotes. We’ve probably even used some of them ourselves. But do we really know what they mean? And could it be that we are, quite often, getting the wrong end of the stick, tricked into thinking they mean something other than they actually do?

In Phrased and Confused, his smart, witty and delightfully illustrated new book, Canadian humour writer Eli Burnstein takes a deep dive into 45 of the most enigmatic and misunderstood quotations in history – from 600 BCE to the 1980s – to deliver a crystal-clear understanding of what they mean and a deeper appreciation of the big ideas they stand for.

So what are you waiting for? Seize the day and join Burnstein for a trip down the road less travelled to discover how a mere handful of words can baffle us, paradoxically, into heightened states of clarity.

Burnstein’s humour writing has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Slackjaw and Points in Case. He is the author of the Dictionary of Fine Distinctions. He also runs a spelling bee.