OUTCOME, n. A particular type of disappointment . . . . judged by the outcome, the result. This is immortal nonsense; the wisdom of an act is to be juded by the light that the doer had when he performed it.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that the value of actions should be evaluated based on the intentions and knowledge at the time they were performed, rather than solely by the results.
Ambrose Bierce emphasizes that assessing the wisdom of a decision should not rely on the outcome but rather on the understanding and knowledge that guided the decision-making process. He critiques the tendency to judge actions purely by their results, which can often lead to misinterpretations of intent and morality. This highlights the importance of context and intention in ethical evaluations.
In practice
In a discussion about decision-making in leadership, this quote could be used to stress the importance of understanding intentions.
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.
Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood.
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
I will practice coming back to the present moment...not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past or letting anxieties, fears, or cravings pull me out.
I looked, and had an acute pleasure in looking,--a precious yet poignant pleasure; pure gold, with a steely point of agony: a pleasure like what the thirst-perishing man might feel who knows the well to which he has crept is poisoned, yet stoops and drinks divine draughts nevertheless.
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
No man can avail himself of the forces of his creative imagination, while dissipating them.
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