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Acquaintance: A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight when its object is poor or obscure, and intimate when he is rich or famous.

Ambrose Bierce

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Ambrose Bierce
Born: 1842
Born: June 24
Aphorist
Journalist
Poet
Science Fiction Writer
Writer
Meigs County
Ohio
Dod Grile
William Herman
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce
Ambrose Bierce
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Person
Object
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Borrow
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Friendship
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Acquaintance
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Obscure
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Poor
Famous

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LIMB, n. The branch of a tree or the leg of an American woman.
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Convent - a place of retirement for women who wish for leisure to meditate upon the sin of idleness.
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ACCUSE, v.t. To affirm another's guilt or unworth most commonly as a justification of ourselves for having wronged him.
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PLEBEIAN, n. An ancient Roman who in the blood of his country stained nothing but his hands. Distinguished from the Patrician, who was a saturated solution.
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Patriotism: The first resort of a scoundrel.
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VITUPERATION, n. Saite, as understood by dunces and all such as suffer from an impediment in their wit.
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Happiness is lost by criticizing it sorrow by accepting it.
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FLAG, n. A colored rag borne above troops and hoisted on forts and ships. It appears to serve the same purpose as certain signs that one sees and vacant lots in London
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DELUGE, n. A notable first experiment in baptism which washed away the sins (and sinners) of the world.
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Censor, n. An officer of certain governments, employed to supress the works of genius. Among the Romans the censor was an inspector of public morals, but the public morals of modern nations will not bear inspection.
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Brain, v. [as in to brain]: To rebuke bluntly, but not pointedly to dispel a source of error in an opponent.
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critic, n. A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him.
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Occident: The part of the world lying west (or east) of the Orient. It is largely inhabited by Christians, a powerful subtribe of the Hypocrites, whose principal industries are murder and cheating, which they are pleased to call war and commerce. These, also, are the principal industries of the Orient.
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If you want to read a perfect book there is only one way: write it.
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REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work upon a book, and so read out of it/ The qualities that you have first read into it.
Ambrose Bierce
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art, n. This word has no definition.
Ambrose Bierce
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ASS, n. A public singer with a good voice but no ear.
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What is worth doing is worth the trouble of asking somebody to do it.
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Electricity is the power that causes all natural phenomena not known to be caused by something else
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RACK, n. An argumentative implement formerly much used in persuading devotees of a false faith to embrace the living truth. As a call to the unconverted the rack never had any particular efficacy, and is now held in light popular esteem.
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