Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 5

• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum -- "I think that I think, therefore I think that I am;" as close an approach to certainty as any philosopher has yet made.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Thinking, Philosopher, Made

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.28, 谷月社

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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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• Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Jealous, Reality, Losing

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

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• Alliance - in international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Peace, Government, Hands

  Cynic's Word Book (1906) p. 16

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• Certain old men prefer to rise at dawn, taking a cold bath and a long walk with an empty stomach and otherwise mortifying the flesh. They then point with pride to these practices as the cause of their sturdy health and ripe years; the truth being that they are hearty and old, not because of their habits, but in spite of them. The reason we find only robust persons doing this thing is that it has killed all the others who have tried it.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Crazy, Pride, Men

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Large Bold Edition”, p.50, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• REFLECTION,n: An Action of the mind whereby we obtain a clearer view of our relation to the things of yesterday and are able to avoid the perils that we shall not again encounter

  Ambrose Bierce

  Reflection, Views, Yesterday

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

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• Prescription: A physician's guess at what will best prolong the situation with least harm to the patient.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Physicians, Literature, Patient

  Ambrose Bierce (2004). “The Devil's Dictionaries: The Best of the Devil's Dictionary and the American Heretic's Dictionary”, p.39, See Sharp Press

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• There would be far fewer accidents if we could only teach telephone poles to be more careful.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Would Be, Telephones, Teach

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• Dentist: a prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coin out of your pocket.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Science, Pockets

  The Devil's Dictionary

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• Homicide, /n./ The slaying of one human by another. There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy, but it makes no great difference to the person slain whether he died by one kind or another - the classification is for the advantage of the lawyers.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Death, Suicide, Differences

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.111, University of Georgia Press

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• For every man there is something in the vocabulary that would stick to him like a second skin. His enemies have only to find it.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Men, Vocabulary, Names

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.87, Courier Corporation

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• Perseverance - a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Success, Perseverance, Congratulations

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 18pt Edition”, p.263, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• IMAGINATION, n. A warehouse of facts, with poet and liar in joint ownership.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Liars, Science, Imagination

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.96, 谷月社

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• We must stop chasing dollars, stop lying, stop cheating, stop ignoring art, literature, and all the refining agencies and instrumentalities of civilization.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Cheating, Art, Lying

  Ambrose Bierce (1909). “The Shadow on the Dial: And Other Essays”

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• self-esteem, n. An erroneous appraisal.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Self Esteem, Ego, Appraisal

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• Doubt begins only at the last frontiers of what is possible.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Doubt, Lasts, Frontiers

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• Eloquence, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the color that it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any color appear white.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Art, Color, White

  Ambrose Bierce (2011). “Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs”, p.618, Library of America

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• Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Science, Men

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2387, Delphi Classics

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• Life - a spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Spiritual, Decay

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.126, 谷月社

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• Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Beautiful, Italian, Two

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2363, Delphi Classics

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