Ambrose Bierce Quotes About Literature

• Future. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Friendship, Happiness, Future

  Cynic's Word Book (1906) p. 129

• Religion. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Daughter, Religious, Nature

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.196, University of Georgia Press

• War is God's way of teaching Americans geography.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Peace, Military

• Dog - a kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Dog, Literature, World

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.48, 谷月社

• What this country needs what every country needs occasionally is a good hard bloody war to revive the vice of patriotism on which its existence as a nation depends.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Country, War, Patriotism

  Ambrose Bierce, S. T. Joshi, Tryambak Sunand Joshi, David E. Schultz (2003). “A Much Misunderstood Man: Selected Letters of Ambrose Bierce”, p.208, Ohio State University Press

• Immortality: A toy which people cry for, And on their knees apply for, Dispute, contend and lie for, And if allowed Would be right proud Eternally to die for.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Lying, Sadness, People

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.119, University of Georgia Press

• 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

• Creditor. One of a tribe of savages dwelling beyond the Financial Straits and dreaded for their desolating incursions.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Fear, Dwelling, Savages

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.36, 谷月社

• Insurrection. An unsuccessful revolution; disaffection's failure to substitute misrule for bad government.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Success, Failure, Government

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2436, Delphi Classics

• NOVEL, n. A short story padded.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Stories, Literature, Novel

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

• 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

• 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

• PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. All that is mortal of a departed truth. A jelly-fish withering on the shore of the sea of thought. A desiccated epigram.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Truth, Sea, Departed

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.165, 谷月社

• To apologize is to lay the foundation for a future offense.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Future, Apology, Foundation

  Ambrose Bierce (1911). “The collected works”

• Sabbath - a weekly festival having its origin in the fact that God made the world in six days and was arrested on the seventh.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Literature, World, Festivals

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.192, 谷月社

• Who never doubted, never half believed. Where doubt is, there truth is - it is her shadow.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Doubt, Shadow, Half

• Wit - the salt with which the American humorist spoils his intellectual cookery by leaving it out.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Native American, Humor, Leaving

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.238, University of Georgia Press

• Bigot: One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Racist, Literature, Opinion

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.22, 谷月社

• 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

• Impartial - unable to perceive any promise of personal advantage from espousing either side of a controversy.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Promise, Literature, Sides

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.119, University of Georgia Press

• Duty - that which sternly impels us in the direction of profit, along the line of desire.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Desire, Literature, Lines

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Large Bold Edition”, p.63, ReadHowYouWant.com

• Abscond - to move in a mysterious way, commonly with the property of another.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Funny, Moving, Humor

  Ambrose Bierce (2011). “Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs”, p.565, Library of America

• Experience is a revelation in the light of which we renounce our errors of youth for those of age.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Birthday, Errors, Light

  Ambrose Bierce (1911). “The collected works”

• It is evident that skepticism, while it makes no actual change in man, always makes him feel better.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Change, Feel Better, Men

• 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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