WAR, n. A by-product of the arts of peace. The most menacing political condition is a period of international amity.
Interpretation
War is often seen as a consequence of peaceful endeavors rather than just conflict.
In this quote, Ambrose Bierce suggests that the existence of war is not merely a result of aggressive intentions but rather a by-product of the efforts made to achieve peace. He provocatively implies that a seemingly harmonious period is when true dangers may lie, as complacency can lead to unforeseen conflicts, highlighting the complexities of human relationships and political dynamics.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the paradoxes of peace and war in international relations.
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.
America is not nearly done. We're only in the beginning. Who knows who we will be? Who knows... what color we will be? It is all something that, maybe, our descendants - if they survive that long - will see.
It's always a Catch-22 situation. They hate you if you're the same, and they hate you if you're different.
Isn't it strange that I who have written only unpopular books should be such a popular fellow?
Man lives in only one small room of the enormous house of his consciousness.
He spent a lot of time flying. He learnt to communicate with birds and discovered that their conversation was fantastically boring. It was all to do with wind speed, wing spans, power-to-weight ratios and a fair bit about berries. Unfortunately, he discovered, once you have learnt birdspeak you quickly come to realize that the air is full of it the whole time, just inane bird chatter. There is no getting away from it.
Empathy, he once had decided, must be limited to herbivores or anyhow omnivores who could depart from a meat diet. Because,ultimately, the empathic gift blurred the boundaries between hunter and victim, between the successful and the defeated.
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