Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 17

• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• REACH, n. The radius of action of the human hand. The area within which it is possible (and customary) to gratify directly the propensity to provide.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Hands, Action, Propensity

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

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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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• 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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• TEETOTALER, n. One who abstains from strong drink, sometimes totally, sometimes tolerably totally.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Strong, Food, Cooking

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.225, University of Georgia Press

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• TABLE D'HOTE, n. A caterer's thrifty concession to the universal passion for irresponsibility.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Passion, Cooking

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.223, University of Georgia Press

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• PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. All that is mortal of a departed truth. A jelly-fish withering on the shore of the sea of thought. A desiccated epigram.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Truth, Sea, Departed

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.165, 谷月社

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• Rhubarb: essence of stomach ache.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Essence, Cooking

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• A miracle is an act or event out of the order of nature and unaccountable, as beating a normal hand of four kings and an ace with four aces and a king.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Nature, Kings, Hands

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.164, University of Georgia Press

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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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are
  created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
  inalienable rights; that among these are life, and the right to
  make that of another miserable by thrusting upon him an
  incalculable quantity of acquaintances; liberty, particularly the
  liberty to introduce persons to one another without first
  ascertaining if they are not already acquainted as enemies; and
  the pursuit of another's happiness with a running pack of
  strangers.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Running, Men, Rights

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.115, 谷月社

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• IMPOSTOR n. A rival aspirant to public honors.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Honor, Rivals

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 20pt Edition”, p.190, ReadHowYouWant.com

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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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• MUMMY, n. - an ancient Egyptian handy, too, in museums in gratifying the vulgar curiosity that serves to distinguish man from the lower animals.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Men, Animal, Museums

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.148, 谷月社

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• PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Temptation, Add

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 24pt Edition”, p.106, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• YOUTH, n. The Period of Possibility, when Archimedes finds a fulcrum, Cassandra has a following and seven cities compete for the honor of endowing a living Homer.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Cities, Honor

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.242, University of Georgia Press

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