Ireland

Richard Cantillon defines inflation. Oscar Wilde and Richard Cantillon explain what work means to them. Jonathan Swift defines vision, William Butler Yeats contrasts talent and genius. Swift and Wilde proffer advice on giving counsel. Swift and George Bernard Shaw provide insight into adversity. Edna O’Brien considers that: “The vote means nothing to women. We should be armed”. Words of advice from Oscar Wilde on choosing enemies, value, money, wealth, strategy, fashion, and war. Samuel Beckett would have us persevere even when enduring minor pains at each attempt. Shaw and Oliver Goldsmith write on just how tenuous success is. Yeats shares advice on the art of communication, on the choice of one’s companions, and how truth is compromised. Shaw insists that progress is adapting to the world. He criticises Nobel Prize money. His belief is also that: “We have not lost faith, but we have transferred it from God to the medical profession”. There are Irish sayings on a variety of topics, including anticonsumerism, confidentiality, and timeliness.