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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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“Even though we have been so influenced by the left hemisphere's ascendency, we also have an inherent capacity to be rooted in the relational right because we are, after all, first, last, and always beings whose embodied brains hunger for connection with others, literally shaping one another's ongoing experience in every moment.”

“When I was a child in school, one of my teachers complained that we students always told about our achievements in the active mode (I've passed), while we always told about our failures in the passive mode (I've been failed). All of this in Spanish, of course, but it's true, that's how children speak in my country. So the good grades are due to the child's actions, while the failed grades seem to be the responsibility of the teacher. What Lorenzo Scupoli is telling us [in his book "Spiritual Combat"] is just the opposite: whenever I do something right, it's not I who has done it, it's not my action, for God was acting through me. At most I can say that I allowed God to act through me. On the other hand, when I do something wrong (sin) I myself am the only responsible, for I didn't allow God to take control. Therefore I should trust only God and not me, for whenever I insist to take control, I do something wrong.”

“Trusting yourself is the opposite of trusting God. If you trust God totally (as you must) you must mistrust yourself. If you trust yourself, you are automatically mistrusting God. Faith is not enough, you also need an act of will. The act of will you need is precisely deciding to trust God fully and mistrust yourself. Modern psychology has lost its bearings when they insist that one must trust oneself. That position is un-Christian.”

“Embodiment of any of these principles is likely a lifetime's work, and it is also true that the small steps we take in that direction often yield substantial increases in connection.”