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.
It's only fair that stable gay relationships of long standing should have the same rights and responsibilities as married couples. I know the image of gay marriage is to some people horrific and ludicrous.
To mind being disliked by a woman you donβt desire and are not married to is yet another serious failure of common sense.
Disguise our bondage as we will, 'Tis woman, woman, rules us still.
No matter how beautiful a woman might be, you're always threatened by certain... You're always threatened by other women, period.
It really is the relationship you have with your self that presents the key to the βkingdomβ, so to speak... Fighting is good, but not when it is fighting yourself. Changing the world is good but first one has to start inside and concurrently make that place right. The strife and the ugliness in the world is the outward manifestation of this troubled relationship we have within on a whole.
If we expected self-reliance of family groups, if we expected hardiness and resilience and initiative on the part of individuals, and if we rewarded initiative instead of dependence on government, we would not only ameliorate many of the family-related social problems we see at present, but we would also reduce our vulnerability to terrorism. People who are hardy, resilient, and self reliant are a lot harder to terrorize.
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