Quotations by Ambrose Bierce

COMPULSION: The eloquence of power.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · COMPULSION

PILGRIM: A traveler that is taken seriously. A Pilgrim Father was one who, leaving Europe in 1620 because not permitted to sing psalms through his nose, followed it to Massachusetts, where he could personate God according to the dictates of his conscience.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · PILGRIM

MYRMIDON: A follower of Achilles—particularly when he didn't lead.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · MYRMIDON

HYDRA: A kind of animal that the ancients catalogued under many heads.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · HYDRA

PLAGIARISM: A literary coincidence compounded of a discreditable priority and an honorable subsequence.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · PLAGIARISM

CLOCK: A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time remains to him.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · CLOCK

GARGOYLE: A rain-spout projecting from the eaves of mediaeval buildings, commonly fashioned into a grotesque caricature of some personal enemy of the architect or owner of the building. This was especially the case in churches and ecclesiastical structures generally, in which the gargoyles presented a perfect rogues' gallery of local heretics and controversialists. Sometimes when a new dean and chapter were installed the old gargoyles were removed and others substituted having a closer relation to the private animosities of the new incumbents.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · GARGOYLE

BOUNTY: The liberality of one who has much, in permitting one who has nothing to get all that he can.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · BOUNTY

BEFRIEND: To make an ingrate.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · BEFRIEND

OSTRICH: A large bird to which (for its sins, doubtless) nature has denied that hinder toe in which so many pious naturalists have seen a conspicuous evidence of design. The absence of a good working pair of wings is no defect, for, as has been ingeniously pointed out, the ostrich does not fly.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · OSTRICH

LOQUACITY: A disorder which renders the sufferer unable to curb his tongue when you wish to talk.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · LOQUACITY

HOMICIDE: The slaying of one human being by another. There are four kinds of homocide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy, but it makes no great difference to the person slain whether he fell by one kind or another—the classification is for advantage of the lawyers.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · HOMICIDE

GALLOWS: A stage for the performance of miracle plays, in which the leading actor is translated to heaven. In this country the gallows is chiefly remarkable for the number of persons who escape it.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · GALLOWS

ENTHUSIASM: A distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward applications of experience. Byron, who recovered long enough to call it "entuzy-muzy," had a relapse, which carried him off—to Missolonghi.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · ENTHUSIASM

MAGNET: Something acted upon by magnetism.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · MAGNET

CURSE: Energetically to belabor with a verbal slap-stick. This is an operation which in literature, particularly in the drama, is commonly fatal to the victim. Nevertheless, the liability to a cursing is a risk that cuts but a small figure in fixing the rates of life insurance.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · CURSE

NOBLEMAN: Nature's provision for wealthy American minds ambitious to incur social distinction and suffer high life.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · NOBLEMAN

MONSIGNOR: A high ecclesiastical title, of which the Founder of our religion overlooked the advantages.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · MONSIGNOR

OLEAGINOUS: Oily, smooth, sleek.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · OLEAGINOUS

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

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · MEEKNESS

RESOLUTE: Obstinate in a course that we approve.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · RESOLUTE

LONGANIMITY: The disposition to endure injury with meek forbearance while maturing a plan of revenge.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · LONGANIMITY

RAZOR: An instrument used by the Caucasian to enhance his beauty, by the Mongolian to make a guy of himself, and by the Afro-American to affirm his worth.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · RAZOR

PEACE: In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.

Ambrose Bierce · Il dizionario del diavolo · The Devil’s Dictionary · PEACE