The Wit and Wisdom of London

London has been one of the world’s great cities for over 2,000 years and has produced countless scholars, artists, rogues and wits, each of whom left their mark on the metropolis by their words or deeds. The Wit and Wisdom of London brings together their best and most memorable quotations, a treasury of the cleverest, the wittiest, and the bawdiest sayings of the city’s greatest residents. From the Romans to Amy Winehouse, via Doctor Johnson and Dickens, and from the aristocrats of Westminster to the paupers of the East End, The Wit and Wisdom of London captures the essence of London, in the words of its people.

‘It is not the walls that make the city, but the people who live within them. The walls of London may be battered, but the spirit of the Londoner stands resolute and undismayed.’ George VI

‘Nothing is certain in London but expense.’ William Shenstone

‘The man who can dominate a London dinner table can dominate the world.’ Oscar Wilde