Here's to woman! Would that we could fold into her arms without falling into her hands.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a desire for a loving connection with women while avoiding any vulnerability or loss of control.
Ambrose Bierce's quote reflects the complex nature of relationships between men and women. It humorously captures the ambivalence men may feel toward women, celebrating their femininity and warmth while also acknowledging the fears and challenges that may accompany intimacy. The phrase suggests a longing for closeness without the risks that often come with emotional vulnerability, showcasing both affection and caution in romantic dynamics.
In practice
A speaker at a women's empowerment event may use this quote to highlight the complexities of gender relationships.
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.
You can wet the rim of a glass and run your finger around the rim and it will make a sound. This is what I feel like: this sound of glass. I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone.
He has no enemies, but he is intensely disliked by his friends.
Grief can be a slow ache that never seems to stop rising, yet as we grieve, those we love mysteriously become more and more a part of who we are.
If you treat every person you meet as if he or she were the most important person in the world, you'll communicate that he or she is somebody - to you.
In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.
You can't measure the mutual affection of two human beings by the number of words they exchange.
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