RICH, adj. Holding in trust and subject to an accounting the property of the indolent, the incompetent, the unthrifty, the envious and the luckless.
Interpretation
Wealth is a responsibility that often falls to those who do not possess it through merit.
This quote by Ambrose Bierce offers a satirical perspective on wealth, suggesting that the rich merely hold property on behalf of those who may lack the ability or luck to secure it themselves. It underscores a belief that wealth can often be a result of circumstance rather than intrinsic merit, highlighting the disparity between the fortunate and the less fortunate in society.
In practice
During a discussion on wealth inequality, one might quote Bierce to highlight the nature of wealth as a trust.
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 doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your life, you've got to check that box, knowing full well the odds are sky-high your application is going straight to the trash.
A little philosophy makes a man an Atheist: a great deal converts him to religion
Time makes more converts than reason.
Death, only death, can break the lasting chain; And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remain
If there is something comforting - religious, if you want - about paranoia, there is still also anti-paranoia, where nothing is connected to anything, a condition not many of us can bear for long.
Every man is the builder of a temple called his body.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.