In the tradition of older oriental literatures, Arabic literature contains numerous proverbs, moral sayings and worldly-wise dicta, as well as great collections of homiletic and religious sayings, such as the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. Arabic culture also abounds in the literature of the anecdote and the pointed tale.

An Anthology of Wit and Wisdom is a small drop from a deep ocean – that of the rich aphoristic and proverbial literature of the Arabs. It comprises five hundred items ranging from the seventh to the twentieth centuries, and is organized under a number of headings which provide a broad classification of the subject matter.