BEGGAR, n. One who has relied on the assistance of his friends.
Interpretation
This quote humorously defines a beggar not just as someone who is poor, but as someone dependent on friends for help.
Ambrose Bierce's definition of a beggar cleverly plays with the traditional understanding of the term. He implies that the act of begging is not merely about financial necessity, but rather about the reliance on friends and social connections, suggesting a humorous critique of social dependence and the nature of friendship.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the value of friendship and mutual support.
PALM, n. A species of tree . . . of which the familiar "itching palm" ("Palma hominis") is most widely distributed . . . . This noble vegetable exudes a kind of invisible gum, which may be detected by applying to the bark a piece of gold or silver.
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Indigestion: A disease which the patient and his friends frequently mistake for deep religious conviction and concern for the salvation of mankind. As the simple Red Man of the Western Wild put it, with, it must be confessed, a certain force: 'Plenty well, no pray; big belly ache, heap God.'
Disobey n:To celebrate with an appropriate ceremony the maturity of a command
NOUMENON, n. That which exists, as distinguished from that which merely seems to exist, the latter being a phenomenon. The noumenon is a bit difficult to locate; it can be apprehended only by a process of reasoning - which is a phenomenon.
PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.
I'm so fast I could hit you before God gets the news.
'I am' is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that 'I do' is the longest sentence?
If your brains were dynamite there wouldn't be enough to blow your hat off.
How often we recall with regret that Napoleon once shot at a magazine editor and missed him and killed a publisher. But we remember with charity that his intentions were good.
The loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
A sense of humor is the best indicator that you will recover; it is often the best indicator that people will love you. Sustain that and you have hope.
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