Gary Cox guides us through 42 of the most misunderstood, misquoted, provocative and significant quotes in the history of philosophy providing a witty and compelling commentary along the way. This entertaining and illuminating collection of quotes doesn’t merely list who said what and when, it explores who each philosopher is and what he or she really meant when they said what they said.

Viewing each quote as a philosophical thesis in itself, Cox probes the writings of everyone from Douglas Adams to A.J. Ayer and Thomas Aquinas to Karl Marx. This is a philosophical journey through history, culture and writing to bring us to a deeper understanding of why we think the way we do.

As Douglas Adams points out, if there is no final answer to the question, ‘What is the meaning of life?’, ‘42’ is as good or bad an answer as any other. Here Cox shows that 42 quotes might be even better!