ARISTOCRACY, n. Government by the best men. (In this sense the word is obsolete; so is that kind of government.) Fellows that wear downy hats and clean shirts --guilty of education and suspected of bank accounts.

Quote by Ambrose Bierce

Topics: Government Quotes

Litigant. A person about to give up his skin for the hope of retaining his...

Litigant. A person about to give up his skin for the hope of retaining his...

Doubt, indulged and cherished, is in danger of becoming denial; but if honest, and bent...

Doubt, indulged and cherished, is in danger of becoming denial; but if honest, and bent...

TOMB, n. The House of Indifference. Tombs are now by common consent invested with a...

TOMB, n. The House of Indifference. Tombs are now by common consent invested with a...

DOG, n. A kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and...

DOG, n. A kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and...

Suffrage, noun. Expression of opinion by means of a ballot. The right of suffrage (which...

Suffrage, noun. Expression of opinion by means of a ballot. The right of suffrage (which...

Experience - the wisdom that enables us to recognise in an undesirable old acquaintance the...

Experience - the wisdom that enables us to recognise in an undesirable old acquaintance the...

Duty - that which sternly impels us in the direction of profit, along the line...

Duty - that which sternly impels us in the direction of profit, along the line...

RIBROASTER, n. Censorious language by oneself concerning another. The word is of classical refinement, and...

RIBROASTER, n. Censorious language by oneself concerning another. The word is of classical refinement, and...

Tenacity is a certain quality of the human hand in its relation to the coin...

Tenacity is a certain quality of the human hand in its relation to the coin...

Ardor, n. The quality that distinguishes love without knowledge.

Ardor, n. The quality that distinguishes love without knowledge.

Rum, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.

Rum, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers.

What this country needs what every country needs occasionally is a good hard bloody war...

What this country needs what every country needs occasionally is a good hard bloody war...

Edible - good to eat and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad,...

Edible - good to eat and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad,...

Historian - a broad-gauge gossip.

Historian - a broad-gauge gossip.

Calamities are of two kinds: misfortunes to ourselves, and good fortune to others.

Calamities are of two kinds: misfortunes to ourselves, and good fortune to others.

MALTHUSIAN, adj. Pertaining to Malthus and his doctrines. Malthus believed in artificially limiting population, but...

MALTHUSIAN, adj. Pertaining to Malthus and his doctrines. Malthus believed in artificially limiting population, but...

Ambition. An overmastering desire to be vilified by enemies while living and made ridiculous by...

Ambition. An overmastering desire to be vilified by enemies while living and made ridiculous by...

PALMISTRY, n. The 947th method (according to Mimbleshaw's classification) of obtaining money by false pretences....

PALMISTRY, n. The 947th method (according to Mimbleshaw's classification) of obtaining money by false pretences....

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company...

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company...

We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar...

We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar...