Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Biercewas an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters", and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth24 June 1842
CityMeighs County, OH
CountryUnited States of America
PUSH, n. One of the two things mainly conducive to success, especially in politics. The other is Pull.
While your friend holds you affectionately by both your hands, you are safe, for you can watch both his.
CARNIVOROUS, adj. Addicted to the cruelty of devouring the timorous vegetarian, his heirs and assigns.
Cat: a soft indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.
ENTERTAINMENT, n. Any kind of amusement whose inroads stop short of death by injection.
IDLENESS, n. A model farm where the devil experiments with seeds of new sins and promotes the growth of staple vices.
HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.
NOVEL, n. A short story padded...
Doubt begins only at the last frontiers of what is possible.
Appeal. In law, to put the dice into the box for another throw.
Botany, n. The science of vegetables - those that are not good to eat, as well as those that are. It deals largely with their flowers, which are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, and ill-smelling.
EXCEPTION, n. A thing which takes the liberty to differ from other things of its class, as an honest man, a truthful woman, etc.
Miss: A title with which we brand unmarried women to indicate that they are in the market. Miss, Misses (Mrs.) and Mister (Mr.) are the three most distinctly disagreeable words in the language, in sound and sense.
PIANO, n. A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor. It is operated by pressing the keys of the machine and the spirits of the audience.