Uncommon times call for uncommon wisdom. It’s inspiring to hear from people who’ve graduated from the school of hard knocks, yet kept a sense of humor. People like Twain, Voltaire, Oscar Wilde. People who've said the thing so well that we all wish we'd said it. People who've been there, done that, and refuse to sugarcoat what they've learned. People who know, as Sherry Hochman puts it, that From Kathryn and Ross Petras, curators of craziness (and surprising smarts), comes a timely collection of reassuring reality: —John Barrymore " —Mark Twain —Mother Teresa —Dylan Thomas —Bill Maher And Voltaire: