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Ambrose Bierce Quotes about Character

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RUMOR, n. A favorite weapon of the assassins of character.

RUMOR, n. A favorite weapon of the assassins of character.

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Rumor, Assassins
Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.110, Courier Corporation

PALMISTRY, n. The 947th method . . . of obtaining money by false pretences [by] "reading character" in the wrinkles [of] the hand. The pretence is not altogether false. . . for the wrinkles in every hand submitted plainly spell the word "dupe."

Ambrose Bierce
Money, Reading, Character

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.

Ambrose Bierce
Country, Character, People
Ambrose Bierce, Ernest Jerome Hopkins (1968). “The Ambrose Bierce satanic reader: selections from the invective journalism of the great satirist”

Trial. A formal inquiry designed to prove and put upon record the blameless characters of judges, advocates and jurors.

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Judging, Inquiry
Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.224, 谷月社

FORMA PAUPERIS. [Latin] In the character of a poor person - a method by which a litigant without money for lawyers is considerately permitted to lose his case.

Ambrose Bierce
Money, Latin, Character
Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.86, University of Georgia Press

WIDOW, n. A pathetic figure that the Christian world has agreed to take humorously, although Christ's tenderness towards widows was one of the most marked features of his character.

Ambrose Bierce
Christian, Character, Widows
Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2540, Delphi Classics

PHYSIOGNOMY, n. The art of determining the character of another by the resemblances and differences between his face and our own, which is the standard of excellence.

Ambrose Bierce
Art, Character, Differences
Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.181, University of Georgia Press

GOOSE, n. A bird that supplies quills for writing. These, by some occult process of nature, are penetrated and suffused with various degrees of the bird's intellectual energies and emotional character, so that when inked and drawn mechanically across paper by a person called an "author," there results a very fair and accurate transcript of the fowl's thought and feeling. The difference in geese, as discovered by this ingenious method, is considerable: many are found to have only trivial and insignificant powers, but some are seen to be very great geese indeed.

Ambrose Bierce
Writing, Character, Science
Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.78, 谷月社

WRATH, n. Anger of a superior quality and degree, appropriate to exalted characters and momentous occasions; as, "the wrath of God," "the day of wrath," etc. . . .

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Wrath, Quality
Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.137, Courier Corporation

The palmist looks at the wrinkles made by closing the hand and says they signify character. The philosopher reads character by what the hand most loves to close upon.

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Wrinkles, Hands
Ambrose Bierce (2015). “A Cynic Looks at Life”, p.47, Sheba Blake Publishing

RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who utters them.

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Dignity, Ridicule
Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.201, University of Georgia Press

SACRED, adj. Dedicated to some religious purpose; having a divine character; inspiring solemn thoughts or emotions; as... the Cow in India; the Crocodile, the Cat and the Onion of ancient Egypt.

Ambrose Bierce
Religious, Character, Cat
Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2506, Delphi Classics

A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the "buffone", or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play.

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Italian, Play
Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Large Bold Edition”, p.334, ReadHowYouWant.com

ZANY, n. A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the _buffone_, or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play. The zany was progenitor to the specialist in humor, as we to-day have the unhappiness to know him. In the zany we see an example of creation; in the humorist, of transmission. Another excellent specimen of the modern zany is the curate, who apes the rector, who apes the bishop, who apes the archbishop, who apes the devil.

Ambrose Bierce
Character, Italian, Play
Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.240, 谷月社

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