Ambrose Bierce Quotes About Character

• The partisan strife in which the people of the country are permitted to periodically engage does not tend to the development of ugly traits of character, but merely discloses those that preexist.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Country, Character, People

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

• In each human heart are a tiger, a pig, an ass and a nightingale. Diversity of character is due to their unequal activity.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Integrity, Heart

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.68, University of Georgia Press

• SACRED, adj. Dedicated to some religious purpose; having a divine character; inspiring solemn thoughts or emotions; as... the Cow in India; the Crocodile, the Cat and the Onion of ancient Egypt.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Religious, Character, Cat

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2506, Delphi Classics

• A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the "buffone", or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Italian, Play

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Large Bold Edition”, p.334, ReadHowYouWant.com

• RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who utters them.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Dignity, Ridicule

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.201, University of Georgia Press

• PALMISTRY, n. The 947th method . . . of obtaining money by false pretences [by] "reading character" in the wrinkles [of] the hand. The pretence is not altogether false. . . for the wrinkles in every hand submitted plainly spell the word "dupe."

  Ambrose Bierce

  Money, Reading, Character

• WRATH, n. Anger of a superior quality and degree, appropriate to exalted characters and momentous occasions; as, "the wrath of God," "the day of wrath," etc. . . .

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Wrath, Quality

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.137, Courier Corporation

• GOOSE, n. A bird that supplies quills for writing. These, by some occult process of nature, are penetrated and suffused with various degrees of the bird's intellectual energies and emotional character, so that when inked and drawn mechanically across paper by a person called an "author," there results a very fair and accurate transcript of the fowl's thought and feeling. The difference in geese, as discovered by this ingenious method, is considerable: many are found to have only trivial and insignificant powers, but some are seen to be very great geese indeed.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Writing, Character, Science

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.78, 谷月社

• PHYSIOGNOMY, n. The art of determining the character of another by the resemblances and differences between his face and our own, which is the standard of excellence.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Art, Character, Differences

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

• Trial. A formal inquiry designed to prove and put upon record the blameless characters of judges, advocates and jurors.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Judging, Inquiry

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.224, 谷月社

• Immoral: 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. If mans notions of right and wrong have any other basis than this of expediency; if they originated, or could have originated, in any other way; if actions have in themselves a moral character apart from and nowise dependent on, their consequences-then all philosophy is a lie and reason a disorder of the mind.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Running, Lying, Philosophy

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

• ZANY, n. A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the _buffone_, or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play. The zany was progenitor to the specialist in humor, as we to-day have the unhappiness to know him. In the zany we see an example of creation; in the humorist, of transmission. Another excellent specimen of the modern zany is the curate, who apes the rector, who apes the bishop, who apes the archbishop, who apes the devil.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Italian, Play

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.240, 谷月社

• WIDOW, n. A pathetic figure that the Christian world has agreed to take humorously, although Christ's tenderness towards widows was one of the most marked features of his character.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Christian, Character, Widows

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2540, Delphi Classics

• The palmist looks at the wrinkles made by closing the hand and says they signify character. The philosopher reads character by what the hand most loves to close upon.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Wrinkles, Hands

  Ambrose Bierce (2015). “A Cynic Looks at Life”, p.47, Sheba Blake Publishing

• FORMA PAUPERIS. [Latin] In the character of a poor person - a method by which a litigant without money for lawyers is considerately permitted to lose his case.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Money, Latin, Character

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.86, University of Georgia Press

• 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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