"It is a theory of mine - wrong possibly, indeed I have so been informed-that we pick our way through life with too much care. We are forever looking down upon the ground. Maybe we do avoid a stumble or two over a stone or a brier, but also we miss the blue of the sky, the glory of the hills." Touching on such vital matters as The Inadvisability of Following Advice and The Disadvantage of Not Getting What One Wants, Jerome K. Jerome presents a buoyant and timeless philosophy of life. With his characteristically charming, anecdotal style, the celebrated wit-and author of Three Men in a Boat and The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow - brings fresh energy to the everyday and expounds with humour and insight on more profound concerns. Written twelve years after The Idle Thoughts, at a time when Jerome had firmly established himself as one of the leading literary voices of his generation, these meditations bear the mark of the mature man: reflective, droll, and always entertaining.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) worked variously as a clerk, journalist, actor, and schoolmaster before finding fame as a writer of essays, plays, and numerous magazine articles. He is best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat and for founding the magazine The Idler.