In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, intelligence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office.

—Ambrose Bierce

intelligence government civilization

About Ambrose Bierce

Portrait of Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – c. 1914) was an American author, journalist, and poet. A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce was regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. For his horror writing, Michael Dirda ranked...

More quotations from Ambrose Bierce

Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum (I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.)

—Ambrose Bierce

humor knowledge thinkingm

There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don't know.

—Ambrose Bierce

knowledge novelty

Doubt is the father of invention.

—Ambrose Bierce

doubt invention skepticism

Painting: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic.

—Ambrose Bierce

Acquaintance, n.: A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.

—Ambrose Bierce

More quotations tagged with “civilization”

In the conflict between Israelis and Arabs you have wounded civilizations—the Arabs have been wounded in their dealings with the West, and an insecure Jewish people have gone through terrible disasters and traumas. There is no end to the Jewish quest for security, and there is no end for the Arab quest for redress and dignity. It is very difficult to reconcile the two.

—Itamar Rabinovich

One of the indictments of civilizations is that happiness and intelligence are so rarely found in the same person.

Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos.

The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself.

The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization.

—Robert Ingersoll

History

6 Jan 2021 Added