Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 16

• REFERENDUM, n. A law for submission of proposed legislation to a popular vote to learn the nonsensus of public opinion.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Learning, Popular Vote, Law

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.195, University of Georgia Press

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• DUEL, n. A formal ceremony preliminary to reconciliation of two enemies. Great skill is necessary to its satisfactory observance; if awkwardly performed . . . deplorable consequences sometimes ensue. A long time ago a man lost his life.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Time, Men

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.60, University of Georgia Press

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• A man who piously shuts himself up to meditate upon the sin of wickedness and to keep it fresh in his mind joins a brotherhood of awful examples.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Men, Brotherhood, Mind

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.32, 谷月社

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• SCARABAEUS, n. The sacred beetle of the ancient Egyptians, allied to our familiar "tumble-bug." It was supposed to symbolize immortality, the fact that God knew why giving it its peculiar sanctity. Its habit of incubating its eggs in a ball of ordure may also have commended it to the favor of the priesthood, and may some day assure it an equal reverence among ourselves. True, the American beetle is an inferior beetle, but the American priest is an inferior priest.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Eggs, Giving, Sacred

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 18pt Edition”, p.328, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• HURRICANE, n. An atmospheric demonstration once very common but now generally abandoned for the tornado and cyclone. The hurricane is still in popular use in the West Indies and is preferred by certain old- fashioned sea-captains.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Science, West Indies, Sea

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 18pt Edition”, p.147, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• RADICALISM, n. The conservatism of to-morrow injected into the affairs of to-day.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Radicalism, Affair, Morrow

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.176, 谷月社

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• I was born to poor because of honest parents.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Parent, Honest, Poor

  Ambrose Bierce (2015). “Negligible Tales”, p.23, Ambrose Bierce

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• CALLOUS, adj. Gifted with great fortitude to bear the evils afflicting another. When Zeno was told that one of his enemies was no more he was observed to be deeply moved. "What!" said one of his disciples, "you weep at the death of an enemy?" "Ah, 'tis true," replied the great Stoic; "but you should see me smile at the death of a friend.".

  Ambrose Bierce

  Evil, Death Of A Friend, Enemy

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.31, University of Georgia Press

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• PROVIDENTIAL, adj. Unexpectedly and conspicuously beneficial to the person so describing it.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Unexpected, Persons, Beneficial

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.172, 谷月社

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• INCOMPATIBILITY, n. In matrimony a similarity of tastes, particularly the taste for domination. Incompatibility may, however, consist of a meek-eyed matron living just around the corner. It has even been known to wear a moustache.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Justice, May

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.125, University of Georgia Press

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• ABNORMAL, adj. Not conforming to standard. In matters of thought and conduct, to be independent is to be abnormal, to be abnormal is to be detested. Wherefore the lexicographer adviseth a striving toward the straiter [sic] resemblance of the Average Man than he hath to himself. Whoso attaineth thereto shall have peace, the prospect of death and the hope of Hell.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Independent, Men, Average

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.3, 谷月社

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• JESTER, n. An officer attached to the king's household to amuse the court by ludicrous actions and utterances . . . the king's own conduct and decrees [being] sufficiently ridiculous for the amusement not only of his court but of all mankind.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Kings, Utterance, Amusement

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• CERBERUS, n. The watch-dog of Hades, whose duty it was to guard the entrance - against whom or what does not clearly appear; everybody, sooner or later, had to go there, and nobody wanted to carry off the entrance.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Dog, Doe, Watches

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.29, 谷月社

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• FIDDLE, n. An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Horse, Cat, Tails

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.66, 谷月社

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• GRAVE, n. A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Science, Students, Medical

  The Devil's Dictionary

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• Inexpedient: Not calculated to advance one's interests.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Nihilism, Interest

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.105, 谷月社

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• The ghost is the outward and visible signs of an inward fear.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Fear, Inward, Spirituality

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.76, 谷月社

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• Convictions are variable; to be always consistent is to be sometimes dishonest.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Variables, Sometimes, Conviction

  Ambrose Bierce (2015). “A Cynic Looks at Life”, p.51, Sheba Blake Publishing

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• Wisdom is known only by contrasting it with folly; by shadow only we perceive that all visible objects are not flat. Yet Philanthropos would abolish evil!

  Ambrose Bierce

  Evil, Shadow, Flats

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.1221, Delphi Classics

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• SARCOPHAGUS, n. Among the Greeks a coffin which being made of a certain kind of carnivorous stone, had the peculiar property of devouring the body placed in it.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Kindness, Greek, Peculiar

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.208, University of Georgia Press

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• Nonsense, n. The objections that are urged against this excellent dictionary.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Nonsense, Excellent, Dictionary

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.85, Courier Corporation

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• LINEN, n. "A kind of cloth the making of which, when made of hemp, entails a great waste of hemp."

  Ambrose Bierce

  Kindness, Waste, Hemp

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.72, Courier Corporation

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• BLANK-VERSE, n. Unrhymed iambic pentameters - the most difficult kind of English verse to write acceptably; a kind, therefore, much affected by those who cannot acceptably write any kind.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Kindness, Writing, Blank

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 18pt Edition”, p.32, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• PIE, n. An advance agent of the reaper whose name is Indigestion.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Names, Pie

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.164, 谷月社

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• Rhubarb: essence of stomach ache.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Essence, Cooking

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