Literary notes about business (AI summary)
In literature, the word "business" is employed in a variety of ways that reflect both its literal and metaphorical connotations. At times it denotes a commercial or practical engagement, as seen in descriptions of meetings or transactions ([1], [2], [3]), and even in representing the routine of everyday life ([4], [5]). In other instances, authors extend the term’s meaning beyond commerce to encompass personal affairs, emotional commitments, and social responsibilities—for example, it can imply a matter of deep personal loss or intense involvement ([6], [7]). Additionally, "business" is sometimes used figuratively to stress the systematic, almost ritualistic nature of various endeavors, whether in discussions of etiquette ([8]) or in commenting on cultural and economic practices ([9]). This flexibility in usage underscores its importance as a concept that informs both the practical and abstract dimensions of human experience.
- A business meeting was held in the afternoon to decide upon the practical work, and again the room was crowded.
— from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper - Dined at home, came Mr. Shepley and Moore, and did business with both of them.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - At noon, full of business, to dinner.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - Up, and at my office all the morning, doing business, and then at noon home to dinner all alone.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - To my Lord’s, where much business and some hopes of getting some money thereby.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - They are my whole business, and, far from lamenting for having been seduced, I sigh for having lost them.
— from Letters of Abelard and Heloise by Peter Abelard and Héloïse - “Every man must die some time or other,” answered the good woman; “it is no business of mine.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - To make a pleasant and friendly impression is not alone good manners, but equally good business.
— from Etiquette by Emily Post - These things are strictly business, demoralizing to the Gentile majority, enriching to the Jewish minority.
— from The International Jew : The World's Foremost Problem by Anonymous
