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Quote by Ambrose Bierce

Work

The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

This book is a compilation of witty and often irreverent definitions, challenging conventional meanings and offering a critical commentary on society and human nature. It is a work of literary wit and social critique, celebrated for its clever wordplay and sharp observations. more

Author

Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce was an American journalist, satirist, and editor, renowned for his sharp wit and dark humor. He is best known for his satirical novel 'The Devil's Dictionary' and his short stories. Bierce was born on June 24, 1842, and his exact date of death remains unknown, as he disappeared during the American Civil War. more

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“History is a chaotic system. The details can shift endlessly, but the overall shape remains constant. Make a small change in the past, and it changes enough details in the present that we would not have come together at exactly this place and time to watch exactly this scene. And yet the great movements of history would be largely unchanged.”

“He tried to live a good life and devote that life to helping others, but he never thought the world would reward him for his efforts. Such a thought would be the ultimate in self-deluding self-aggrandizement, for why would the world care one iota about him? Now, however, he wondered if he had been wrong. Now, he thought that maybe, just maybe, if you lived a good life, the universe—this cold, cold world—might just reward you. And he did feel rewarded—rewarded beyond all the gold in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.”

“I sat on the bed beside my cousin, fiddling with the folds of my skirts. “About that… what in the name of the queen possessed you to run off with a man you scarcely know? I hope he didn’t spin you a story too good to be believable.” “Most stories are too good to be true. That’s what makes them enchanting.” “And dangerous,” I muttered.”

“But there is also my brain and it is gently, unobtrusively asking me questions that don’t require answers because the answers are already there: it won’t last; he’s just TOO perfect for me, TOO handsome, TOO sexy; I’m not the one for him, if such a person exists at all. Sooner or later it will come to an end because the feelings disappear, even the strongest ones. They are inexorably broken down by life’s worries and problems and the fears that come with them. But with Alex it will most likely happen sooner rather than later – he is just TOO seductive and virtually all women without exception look at him TOO greedily. When it’s all over, he’ll simply step over us and move on and I... I’ll be abandoned like an empty cigarette packet on a dirty pavement. I have no desire to fade away in the scorching sun, covered in dust and dripping wet with dirty rainwater.”