The French have an expression called l'esprit de l'escalier - the spirit of the staircase. It refers to the remark you thought of on the staircase from the room you were in, where all the witty rejoinders were flying and you stood mute and uninspired in the melee. This book should give you enough verbal ammunition to prevent such scenarios unfolding in the future. It contains the wit and wisdom of Quotable Notables, people who have espied the foibles and eccentricities of the human animal at work and play and come to some rather quirky conclusions about him/her.