Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 9

• Riot – A popular entertainment given to the military by innocent bystanders.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Peace, War, Military

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.202, University of Georgia Press

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• IMPROVIDENCE, n. Provision for the needs of to-day from the revenues of to-morrow.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Needs, Morrow, Provision

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.121, University of Georgia Press

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• LAP, n. One of the most important organs of the female system - an admirable provision of nature for the repose of infancy, but chiefly useful in rural festivities to support plates of cold chicken and heads of adult males.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Nature, Support, Important

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.68, Courier Corporation

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• EMOTION, n. A prostrating disease caused by a determination of the heart to the head. It is sometimes accompanied by a copious discharge of hydrated chloride of sodium from the eyes.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Determination, Heart, Eye

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.66, University of Georgia Press

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• REALITY, n. The dream of a mad philosopher. That which would remain in the cupel if one should assay a phantom. The nucleus of a vacuum.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Dream, Philosophy, Reality

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.177, 谷月社

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• INK, n. A villainous compound of tannogallate of iron, gum-arabic, and water, chiefly used to facilitate the infection of idiocy and promote intellectual crime.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Iron, Water, Intellectual

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.130, University of Georgia Press

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• RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Art, Philosophy, Lying

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2504, Delphi Classics

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• A wedding is a ceremony at which two persons undertake to become one, one undertakes to become nothing, and nothing undertakes to become supportable.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Wedding, Two, Ceremony

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.233, 谷月社

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• Meekness: Uncommon patience in planning a revenge that is worth while.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Patience, Revenge, Planning

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.141, 谷月社

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• CLERGYMAN, n. A man who undertakes the management of our spiritual affairs as a method of better his temporal ones.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Spiritual, Men, Affair

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Super Large 18pt Edition”, p.46, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• REFUSAL, n. Denial of something desired; Refusals are graded in a descending scale of finality thus: the refusal absolute, the refusal condition, the refusal tentative and the refusal feminine. The last is called by some casuists the refusal assentive.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Desire, Denial, Lasts

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2495, Delphi Classics

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• Platitude: All that is mortal of a departed truth.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Departed, Platitudes, Mortals

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.183, University of Georgia Press

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• Genealogy, n. An account of one's descent from a man who did not particularly care to trace his own.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Family, Men, Care

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• PHONOGRAPH, n. An irritating toy that restores life to dead noises.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Noise, Toys

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

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• MAGNETISM, n. Something acting upon a magnet. The two definitions immediately foregoing are condensed from the works of one thousand eminent scientists, who have illuminated the subject with a great white light, to the inexpressible advancement of human knowledge.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Science, Light, Two

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.137, 谷月社

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• moral, adj. Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Quality, Morality, Standards

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

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• ROSTRUM, n. In Latin, the beak of a bird or the prow of a ship. In America, a place from which a candidate for office energetically expounds the wisdom, virtue and power of the rabble.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Wisdom, Latin, America

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2504, Delphi Classics

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• An appellate court which reverses the judgment of a popular author's contemporaries, the appellant being his obscure competitor.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Judgment, Popularity, Obscure

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.167, 谷月社

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• Christians and camels receive their burdens kneeling.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Christian, Camels, Kneeling

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.1214, Delphi Classics

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• REPORTER, n. A writer who guesses his way to the truth and dispels it with a tempest of words.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Truth, Way, Tempest

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.197, University of Georgia Press

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• INTERPRETER, n. One who enables two persons of different languages to understand each other by repeating to each what it would have been to the interpreter's advantage for the other to have said.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Two, Understanding, Different

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.135, University of Georgia Press

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• aim, n. The task we set our wishes to.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Wish, Desire, Tasks

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2354, Delphi Classics

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• PIG, n. An animal ("Porcus omnivorus") closely allied to the human race by the splendor and vivacity of its appetite, which, however, is inferior in scope, for it sticks at pig.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Food, Animal, Pigs

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

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• There's no free will," says the philosopher; "To hang is most unjust." "There is no free will," assents the officer; "We hang because we must.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Unjust, Philosopher, Free Will

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.1211, Delphi Classics

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• Crowned with leaves of the laurel. In England the Poet Laureate is an officer of the sovereign's court, acting as dancing skeleton at every royal feast and singing-mute at every royal funeral.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Skeletons, Dancing, Funeral

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2445, Delphi Classics

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