YOUTH, n. The Period of Possibility, when Archimedes finds a fulcrum, Cassandra has a following and seven cities compete for the honor of endowing a living Homer.
Interpretation
Youth is characterized by endless possibilities and great potential.
In this quote, Ambrose Bierce highlights youth as a time of vibrant possibilities and opportunities, where great achievements can be envisioned, much like Archimedes finding a fulcrum to move the world, or the cities that competed to honor Homer. This metaphor emphasizes the energy, ambition, and creativity of youth, suggesting that this period holds the key to realizing dreams and making impactful contributions to the world.
In practice
A motivational speaker could use this quote to inspire young audiences at a graduation ceremony.
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.
It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.
if it's true your life flashes past your eyes before you die, then it is also the truth that your life rushes forth when you are ready to start to truly be alive.
You've got as many lives as you like, and more, even ones you don't want.
It is the stories we don't get, the ones we miss, pass over, fail to recognize, don't pick up on, that will send us to hell.
The living are more demanding; the dead can wait.
Stones taught me to fly_x000D_ Love taught me to lie_x000D_ And life taught me to die_x000D_ So it's not hard to fall_x000D_ When you float like a cannonball.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.