Sage Advice

The Lives and Maxims of Some of History’s Wisest People

By: Richard K. Borden

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

What if you could acquire four thousand years of wisdom from across the globe in one book?

Over 800 maxims for a thriving life from eighteen sages.

Short inspiring biographies that capture each leader's essential character and achievements.

An accessible and thought-provoking entry into timeless life wisdom.

In Sage Advice, you will examine the lives and maxims of eighteen wise leaders selected for their unique contributions to human thought. You’ll find a well-researched and engaging biography of each, followed by quotes from their carefully collated texts that address almost seventy topics like courage, friendship, leadership, moderation, patience and work-life balance.

Sage Advice provides an intriguing introduction to the world's great philosophical, religious and secular traditions.

Who Are the Sages?

Ptah-Hotep Confucius Buddha Aristotle Seneca Jesus Marcus Aurelius Muhammad Zhu Xi Elizabeth I Benjamin Franklin George Washington Catherine the Great Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Theodore Roosevelt George Washington Carver Mahatma Gandhi Winston Churchill

We can still find wisdom and discover timeless truths by studying some of the greatest thinkers and achievers who have helped shape our world. Sage Advice provides a dose of knowledge that reaches across the ages.

©2020 Richard K. Borden (P)2025 Richard K. Borden

Wisdom that lands

I liked how the book turns great historical figures into practical lessons without feeling academic. Each story leaves a clear reflection. Jonathan Waters narrates calmly and warmly, making the content easy to digest.

Small lessons, big perspective

An interesting journey through influential lives and their most human teachings. Here I found simple but profound reflections on leadership, character, and decision-making. I found it inspiring without resorting to empty phrases. It's a book that you listen to calmly and leaves you with ideas to ponder. The narration is balanced and very pleasant to follow.

A worthy companion for contemplative walks.

Sage Advice is an excellent compendium of accessible (and short) biographies of people whom history has recognized not only accomplished great things but also had a significant impact on how humanity views its existence. These bios (the "case" for considering their earned wisdom worthy of attention) are coupled with Borden's cataloguing of maxims of these wise people into general problems that all of us face (popularity, self-reliance, marriage, life, etc.). While "experienced" adults will find Sage Advice to be of value, I think its greatest audience will be young adults who are at that point in life when they are questioning everything. I gave a paperback copy to my son who, at the time, was a midshipman at the US Naval Academy in the hope that if he doesn't want to listen to his parents' sage advice, will consult those down the ages who have generally arrived at the same conclusions.

I was eager to revisit the book in audiobook form because each chapter is self-contained and short enough to complete during a reflective walk around the lake. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while taking my sauna and it’s a fantastic contemplative. The reader is excellent.

We no longer expose our children to classical thought and we continually become more secular and dispersed in our path through life. Some become attracted to nonsense pseudo-philosophies and conspiracy theories because they don't have accessible exposure to those who came before us. Sage Advice is one inoculator for a society that has become unmoored from our inheritance of great lives lived in the pursuit of universal truths. Sage Advice is another reminder of the timeless truth attributed to Issac Newton: “if I have seen further [than others], it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Very interesting and good soup for the soul!

I love quotations of wisdom and this book does an excellent job highlighting maxims of 18 of the world's most intelligent and influential "Sages." From Confucius to Buddha, to Aristotle to Elizabeth I, and Theodore Roosevelt to Winston Churchill, this book celebrates thought-provoking quotes through the ages.

Sage Advice does a great job categorizing quotes by approx. 70 topics, such as Acceptance, Courage, Happiness, Humor, Mistakes, Love, Perseverance, Truth, and Work-Life Balance. In addition to underscoring great quotations, Richard K. Borden (author) does a superb job providing biographical summaries of the 18 Sages. I initially purchased the book, but then discovered the audible version too -- The narrator has the perfect voice to give the book and quotations an edge of distinction and wisdom!

To listen to slowly

This is an audiobook that invites reflection rather than fast forwarding. The stories are well summarized and leave you feeling calm. Jonathan Waters accompanies them with his calm and steady narration.