OBLIVION, n. Cold storage for high hopes. A place where ambitious authors meet their works without pride and their betters without envy. A dormitory without an alarm clock.
Interpretation
Oblivion is a state where unfulfilled dreams and works rest, devoid of emotion or recognition.
Ambrose Bierce's quote on oblivion captures the essence of unfulfilled aspirations and the inevitability of forgotten ambitions. It portrays oblivion as a metaphorical repository where high hopes, once vibrant, now lie dormant in a tranquil space, highlighting the contrasts between the accomplishments of authors and the shadows of their neglect, devoid of both pride and envy, suggesting a philosophical reflection on the transient nature of human efforts and memory.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the nature of ambition and the risks of unfulfilled dreams at a literary event.
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.
A Witch is born out of the true hungers of her time,β she said. βI was born out of New York. The things that are most wrong here summoned me. ("Drink Entire: Against The Madness Of Crowds")
It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
Wealth and speed are what the world admires, what each pursues. Railways, express mails, steamships and every possible facility for communications are the achievement in which the civilized world view and revels, only to languish in mediocrity by that very fact. Indeed, the effect of this diffusion is to spread the culture of the mediocre.
They who prematurely put themselves forward to root out whatever is displeasing to them overthrow the judgment of God and rashly intrude upon the office of angels.
Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.
Stick to what's in front of you - idea, action, utterance.
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