Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 38

• IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes to be considered wrong, wicked, immoral.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Running, Men, Numbers

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.98, 谷月社

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• OYSTER, n. A slimy, gobby shellfish which civilization gives men the hardihood to eat without removing its entrails! The shells are sometimes given to the poor.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Men, Oysters

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.177, University of Georgia Press

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• OATH, n. In law, a solemn appeal to the Deity, made binding upon the conscience by a penalty for perjury.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Law, Deities, Made

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.151, 谷月社

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• EXHORT, v.t. In religious affairs, to put the conscience of another upon the spit and roast it to a nut-brown discomfort.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Religious, Nuts, Affair

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.60, 谷月社

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• Fear has no brains; it is an idiot. The dismal witness that it bears and the cowardly counsel that it whispers are unrelated.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Brain, Bears, Idiot

  Ambrose Bierce (1964). “Ghost and Horror Stories”, p.147, Courier Corporation

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• RITUALISM, n. A Dutch Garden of God where He may walk in rectilinear freedom, keeping off the grass.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Freedom, Garden, May

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.109, Courier Corporation

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• Slang is a foul pool at which every dunce fills his bucket, and then sets up as a fountain.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Buckets, Pool, Fountain

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.1219, Delphi Classics

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• True, more than a half of the green graves in the Grafton cemetery are marked "Unknown," and sometimes it occurs that one thinks of the contradiction involved in "honoring the memory" of him of whom no memory remains to honor; but the attempt seems to do no great harm to the living, even to the logical.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Memories, Thinking, Honor

  Ambrose Bierce (2002). “Shadows of Blue & Gray: The Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce”, p.280, Forge Books

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• TRUST, n. In American politics, a large corporation composed in greater part of thrifty working men, widows of small means, orphans in the care of guardians and the courts, with many similar malefactors and public enemies.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Mean, Men, Enemy

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.226, 谷月社

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• Learning, n. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Education, Ignorance, Kind

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.148, University of Georgia Press

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• INDIFFERENT, adj. Imperfectly sensible to distinctions among things.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Indifference, Distinction, Indifferent

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

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• PIGMY, n. One of a tribe of very small men found by ancient travelers in many parts of the world, but by modern in Central Africa only. The Pigmies are so called to distinguish them from the bulkier Caucasians - who are Hogmies.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Men, World, Tribes

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.182, University of Georgia Press

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• GUNPOWDER, n. An agency employed by civilized nations for the settlement of disputes which might become troublesome if left unadjusted.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Agency, Civilized Nations, Might

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.102, University of Georgia Press

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• PHYSICIAN, n. One upon whom we set our hopes when ill and our dogs when well.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Hope, Dog, Health

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.181, University of Georgia Press

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• The quality that distinguishes love without knowledge.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Love, Knowledge, Quality

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.13, 谷月社

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• Suddenly to change one's opinions and go over to another party. The most notable flop on record was that of Saul of Tarsus, who has been severely criticised as a turn-coat by some of our partisan journals.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Change, Art, Records

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.67, 谷月社

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• A short story padded. A species of composition bearing the same relation to literature that the panorama bears to art. As it is too long to be read at a sitting the impressions made by its successive parts are successively effaced, as in the pa

  Ambrose Bierce

  Success, Art, Long

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• STORY, n. A narrative, commonly untrue. The truth of the stories here following has, however, not been successfully impeached.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Truth, Stories, Narrative

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.217, University of Georgia Press

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• PESSIMISM- philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Hope, Philosophy, Pessimism

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.93, Courier Corporation

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• Uncommon extension of the fear of death.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Aging, Fear Of Death, Uncommon

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.130, 谷月社

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• PYRRHONISM- An ancient philosophy, named for its inventor. It consisted of an absolute disbelief in everything but Pyrrhonism. Its modern professors have added that.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Philosophy, Ancient, Modern

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.173, 谷月社

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• ARTLESSNESS, n. A certain engaging quality to which women attain by long study and severe practice upon the admiring male, who is pleased to fancy it resembles the candid simplicity of his young.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Practice, Long, Simplicity

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.15, 谷月社

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• The natural equipment to accomplish some small part of the meaner ambitions distinguishing able men from dead ones. In the last analysis ability is commonly found to consist mainly in a high degree of solemnity.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Ambition, Men, Degrees

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.7, University of Georgia Press

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• JOSS-STICKS- Small sticks burned by the Chinese in their pagan tomfoolery, in imitation of certain sacred rites of our holy religion.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Chinese, Religion, Sacred

  Ambrose Bierce (1906). “The Cynic's Word Book”, p.207, Lulu.com

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• MONSIGNOR- A high ecclesiastical title, of which the Founder of our religion overlooked the advantages.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Religion, Titles, Advantage

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.146, 谷月社

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