IMPROVIDENCE, n. Provision for the needs of to-day from the revenues of to-morrow.
Interpretation
Improvidence refers to the lack of foresight, relying on future resources for present needs.
In this quote, Ambrose Bierce cleverly defines improvidence as the act of using future resources to satisfy current desires, highlighting the folly of living in the moment without considering long-term consequences. It serves as a reminder to practice prudence and manage resources wisely to avoid potential pitfalls in the future.
In practice
A financial advisor could use this quote to emphasize the importance of saving for the future in a seminar.
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.
A little insomnia is not without its value in making us appreciate sleep, in throwing a ray of light upon that darkness.
One of the things I learned, the easiest of lessons, was that the better you do your job, often going against conventional mores, the less popular you are likely to be.
The foolish man wonders at the unusual, but the wise man at the usual.
She was right that reality can be harsh and that you shut your eyes to it only at your peril because if you do not face up to the enemy in all his dark power, then the enemy will come up from behind some dark day and destoy you while you are facing the other way.
There is no satisfying the senses, not even with a shower of money. "The senses are of slight pleasure and really suffering." When a wise man has realised this, he takes no pleasure, as a disciple of the Buddhas, even in the pleasures of heaven. Instead he takes pleasure in the elimination of craving.
Be like the bluebird who never is blue, For he knows from his upbringing what singing can do
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