He who thinks with difficulty believes with alacrity. A fool is a natural proselyte, but he must be caught young, for his convictions, unlike those of the wise, harden with age.
AMBROSE BIERCEAmbition. An overmastering desire to be vilified by enemies while living and made ridiculous by friends when dead.
More Ambrose Bierce Quotes
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I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.
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History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.
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Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs.
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In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, intelligence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office.
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Pray: To ask the laws of the universe to be annulled on behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.
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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.
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A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms agains himself. He makes his failure certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.
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ULTIMATUM, n. In diplomacy, a last demand before resorting to concessions.
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Mausoleum, n: the final and funniest folly of the rich.
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Philosophy: A route of many roads leading from nowhere to nothing.
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Perseverance – a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success.
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Patience, n. A minor form of dispair, disguised as a virtue.
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Optimism – the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly.
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Optimist – A proponent of the doctrine that black is white.
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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.
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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.
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RATIONAL, adj. Devoid of all delusions save those of observation, experience and reflection.
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There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know.
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Year: A period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments.
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Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility.
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There are two instruments worse than a clarinet – two clarinets.
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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.
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REALISM, n. The art of depicting nature as it is seem by toads. The charm suffusing a landscape painted by a mole, or a story written by a measuring-worm.
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Fidelity – a virtue peculiar to those who are about to be betrayed.
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Knowledge is the small part of ignorance that we arrange and classify.
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Selfish, adj. Devoid of consideration for the selfishness of others.
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