A Cynic’s Business Wisdom is an entrepreneur’s manual from the edgy perspective that cynicism teaches us to have a healthy respect for the unexpected. It equips us to effectively deal with real-world business challenges and capitalize on opportunities. Essentially, it is the flip side of all those “instant-gratification-sugar-coated-success-guaranteed-get-rich-overnight” books. This manual is a keen reflection of converting collegiate knowledge into actions that are intended to give you an advantage in dealing with people, selling, networking, negotiating, managing, and controlling every business situation you find yourself in. It responds to questions posed and issues raised by entrepreneurs, academics, trainers, mentors, and businesspeople over all my years delivering business consulting, and expounds on my advanced business workshops, and on my very own business ventures. Business often is not pretty. Business is not always fair. People are out to win at virtually any cost. Those footsteps you hear are a constant reminder that you have a target on your back. Flexible business ethics are part of empowering you to play by your own rules, recognize that business is a game, nobody owes you a break, there are no black-and-white norms, and that business ethics are flexible. Understand how to play the game to win.

Once regarded as a minor Socratic school, Cynicism is now admired as one of the more creative and influential philosophical movements in antiquity. First arising in the city-states of late classical Greece, Cynicism thrived through the Hellenistic and Roman periods, until the triumph of Christianity and the very end of pagan antiquity. In every age down to the present, its ideals of radical simplicity and freedom have alternately inspired and disturbed onlookers. This book offers a survey of Cynicism, its varied representatives and ideas, and the many contexts in which it operated. William Desmond introduces important ancient Cynics and their times, from Diogenes 'the Dog' in the fourth century BC to Sallustius in the fifth century AD. He details the Cynics' rejection of various traditional customs and the rebellious life-style for which they are notorious.The central chapters locate major Cynic themes (nature and the natural life, Fortune, self-sufficiency, cosmopolitanism) within the rich matrix of ideas debated by the ancient schools. The final chapter reviews some moments in the diverse legacy of Cynicism, from Jesus to Nietzsche.

A short history of cynicism, from the fearless speech of the ancient Greeks to the jaded negativity of the present. Everyone's a cynic, yet few will admit it. Today's cynics excuse themselves half-heartedly—“I hate to be a cynic, but..."—before making their pronouncements. Narrowly opportunistic, always on the take, contemporary cynicism has nothing positive to contribute. The Cynicism of the ancient Greeks, however, was very different. This Cynicism was a marginal philosophy practiced by a small band of eccentrics. Bold and shameless, it was committed to transforming the values on which civilization depends. In this volume of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Ansgar Allen charts the long history of cynicism, from the “fearless speech” of Greek Cynics in the fourth century BCE to the contemporary cynic's lack of social and political convictions. Allen describes ancient Cynicism as an improvised philosophy and a way of life disposed to scandalize contemporaries, subjecting their cultural commitments to derision. He chronicles the subsequent “purification” of Cynicism by the Stoics; Renaissance and Enlightenment appropriations of Cynicism, drawing on the writings of Shakespeare, Rabelais, Rousseau, de Sade, and others; and the transition from Cynicism (the philosophy) to cynicism (the modern attitude), exploring contemporary cynicism from the perspectives of its leftist, liberal, and conservative critics. Finally, he considers the possibility of a radical cynicism that admits and affirms the danger it poses to contemporary society.

Rising prize-winning comedian DiGiorgio gives advice on how to be more self-centred, cynical an, most importantly, how to have a good time. Some suggest that this black cloud of wisdom is, in fact, the Anti-Christ in paperback. But there comes a time when children need tripping, dolphins need flogging and, by gum, old people need a-murderin'. Everyone needs DigGiorgio's life guidance for a brighter and more bitter tomorrow.

A unique edition of the sayings of Diogenes, whose biting wit and eccentricity inspired the anecdotes that express his Cynic philosophy. It includes the accounts of his immediate successors, such as Crates and Hipparchia, and the witty moral preacher Bion. The contrasting teachings of the Cyrenaics and the hedonistic Aristippos complete the volume.

Whether our notions of ‘god’ are personal projections or inherited traditions, author and theologian Brad Jersak proposes a radical reassessment, arguing for A More Christlike God: a More Beautiful Gospel. If Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of God’s likeness,” what if we conceived of God as completely Christlike—the perfect Incarnation of self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love? What if God has always been and forever will be ‘cruciform’ (cross-shaped) in his character and actions? A More Christlike God suggests that such a God would be very good news indeed—a God who Jesus “unwrathed” from dead religion, a Love that is always toward us, and a Grace that pours into this suffering world through willing, human partners.

If you're fat and fail every diet, if you're thin but can't get thin enough, if you lose your job, if your child dies, if you are diagnosed with cancer, if you always end up with exactly the wrong kind of person, if you always end up alone, if you can't get over the past, if your parents are insane and ruining your life, if you really and truly wish you were dead, if you feel like it's your destiny to be a star, if you believe life has a grudge against you, if you don't want to have sex with your spouse and don't know why, if you feel so ashamed, if you're lost in life. If you have ever wondered, How am I aupposed to survive this? This is How.

Indulge in a dose of wit and wisdom with "The Complete Cynic." This compilation of epigrams, culled from the calendars of Oliver Herford, Ethel Watts Mumford, and Addison Mizner, offers a delightful blend of humor and insight. Whether you're in need of a chuckle or a moment of reflection, this collection is sure to entertain and enlighten.