PILGRIM, n. A traveler that is taken seriously. A Pilgrim Father was one who [was] not permitted to sing psalms through his nose [in Europe], followed it to Massachusetts, where he could personate God according to the dictates of his conscience.
Interpretation
The quote explores the nature of a pilgrim and the seriousness of a traveler's journey in pursuit of personal freedom.
Ambrose Bierce's quote uses the concept of a pilgrim to illustrate the idea of individuals undertaking serious journeys in search of spiritual or personal meaning. The reference to historical Pilgrim Fathers highlights the struggle for freedom of expression and belief, suggesting that true pilgrims are those who follow their convictions despite societal restrictions.
In practice
In a speech about personal growth, one could say, 'As a pilgrim in search of truth, we must embrace our journey, much like the Pilgrim Fathers did.'
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.
On the night that the Second World war was declared, there were crowds in the street. It was a summer's night and there was a blackout. On every side you heard people crying: 'Look at the moon!' The moon had been there every minute of their lives and they'd never seen it.
Show me the country that has no strikes and I'll show you the country in which there is no liberty.
I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking.
I am seeking for the bridge which leans from the visible to the invisible through reality.
The church that is not jealously protected by mighty intercession and sacrificial labors will before long become the abode of every evil bird and the hiding place for unsuspected corruption. The creeping wilderness will soon take over that church that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray.
Despite the slowness, the infidelity, the errors and sins it committed and might still commit against its members, the Church, trust me, has no other meaning and goal but to live and witness Jesus.
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