Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 4

• Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Belief, Opinion, Absurdity

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.7, 谷月社

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• Hippogriff, n. An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. The griffin was itself a compound creature, half lion and half eagle. The hippogriff was actually, therefore, only one-quarter eagle, which is two dollars and fifty cents in gold. The study of zoology is full of surprises.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Horse, Animal, Eagles

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.51, Courier Corporation

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• I keep a conscience uncorrupted by religion, a judgment undimmed by politics and patriotism, a heart untainted by friendships and sentiments unsoured by animosities.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Fear, Heart, Atheism

  Ambrose Bierce, S. T. Joshi, David E. Schultz (1998). “A Sole Survivor: Bits of Autobiography”, p.177, Univ. of Tennessee Press

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• Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Sarcastic, Beach, Nature

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.152, 谷月社

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• MYTHOLOGY, n. The body of a primitive people's beliefs concerning its origin, early history, heroes, deities and so forth, as distinguished from the true accounts which it invents later.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Hero, People, Body

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

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• Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Clever, Inspiration, Ends

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2696, Delphi Classics

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• LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay. We live in daily apprehension of its loss; yet when lost it is not missed.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Spiritual, Loss

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.150, University of Georgia Press

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• Pray: To ask the laws of the universe to be annulled on behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Prayer, Humor

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.96, Courier Corporation

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• The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Wisdom, Clever, Lying

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• Brain: an apparatus with which we think we think.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Education, Math, Thinking

  "The Devil's Dictionary". Book by Ambrose Bierce, 1911.

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• Responsibility, n. A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one's neighbor. In the days of astrology it was customary to unload it upon a star.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Stars, Responsibility, Fate

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.106, Courier Corporation

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• The only distinction that democracies reward is a high degree of conformity.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Democracy, Degrees, Rewards

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Epigrams by Ambrose Bierce”, p.10, e-artnow

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• Divorce: a resumption of diplomatic relations and rectification of boundaries.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Divorce, Diplomatic Relations, Boundaries

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• Insurance - an ingenious modern game of chance in which the player is permitted to enjoy the comfortable conviction that he is beating the man who keeps the table.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Player, Men, Gambling

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.133, University of Georgia Press

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• In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, intelligence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Humor, Government

  "The Devil's Dictionary". Book by Ambrose Bierce, 1911.

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• Feast, n. A festival. A religious celebration usually signalized by gluttony and drunkenness, frequently in honor of some holy person distinguished for abstemiousness.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Religious, Food, Perspective

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.78, University of Georgia Press

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• MAN, n. An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Animal, Men, Thinking

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.161, University of Georgia Press

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• Bacchus, n.: A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Wine, Drunk

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.17, 谷月社

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• Logic, n. The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. The basic of logic is the syllogism, consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion - thus: Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man. Minor Premise: One man can dig a post-hole in sixty seconds; Therefore- Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a post-hole in one second. This may be called syllogism arithmetical, in which, by combining logic and mathematics, we obtain a double certainty and are twice blessed.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Art, Blessed, Science

  "The Devil's Dictionary:". Book by Ambrose Bierce (p. 204), 2008.

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• Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Quotations

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.174, 谷月社

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• Dawn: When men of reason go to bed.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Morning, Sleep, Insomnia

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.49, University of Georgia Press

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• RUMOR, n. A favorite weapon of the assassins of character.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Rumor, Assassins

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.110, Courier Corporation

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• What is a democrat? One who believes that the republicans have ruined the country. What is a republican? One who believes that the democrats would ruin the country.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Country, Humorous

  Ambrose Bierce (1968). “The Ambrose Bierce satanic reader: selections from the invective journalism of the great satirist”

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• Fidelity - a virtue peculiar to those who are about to be betrayed.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Peculiar, Betrayed, Virtue

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

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• Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Family, Mothers Day, Mom

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