Drivers on the London Underground have been issued with a book of philosophical quotes to read out along with their normal announcements.

The usual "mind the gap" and "the next station is..." will now be joined by insights from the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi.

Bosses hope the quotes - compiled by Turner Prize-nominated artist Jeremy Deller - will lift the moods of passengers as they are read out over the tanoy.

Examples include, "Everyone should be respected, but no-one idolised" (Albert Einstein) and "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory" (Friedrich Engels).

I'm guessing that the majority of passengers will not even notice the new announcements as they sit pondering their own philosophical questions like "Who's better: Batman or Superman?"