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
Perseverance - a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success.
UNIVERSALIST, n. One who forgoes the advantage of a Hell for persons of another faith.
Marriage, n: the state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two.
Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.
DISCRIMINATE, v.i. To note the particulars in which one person or thing is, if possible, more objectionable than another.
Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues.
Divorce: a resumption of diplomatic relations and rectification of boundaries.
Politeness, n: The most acceptable hypocrisy.
Absurdity, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.
Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.
Beauty, n: the power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband.
Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.
Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.