IMPROVIDENCE, n. Provision for the needs of to-day from the revenues of to-morrow.
Interpretation
Improvidence refers to the lack of foresight, relying on future resources for present needs.
In this quote, Ambrose Bierce cleverly defines improvidence as the act of using future resources to satisfy current desires, highlighting the folly of living in the moment without considering long-term consequences. It serves as a reminder to practice prudence and manage resources wisely to avoid potential pitfalls in the future.
In practice
A financial advisor could use this quote to emphasize the importance of saving for the future in a seminar.
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.
We are Divine enough to ask and we are important enough to receive.
If our life is poured out in useless words, we will never hear anything, never become anything, and in the end, because we have said everything before we had anything to say, we shall be left speechless at the moment of our greatest decision.
The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.
I met Tiger Woods when he was younger. He's amazing - obviously technically, but his mental approach, too. He's really something.
Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.
They shall not be expected to acknowledge us until we have acknowledged ourselves.
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