Patriotism. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. – Ambrose Bierce
An account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools. – Ambrose Bierce
Laziness. Unwarranted repose of manner in a person of low degree. – Ambrose Bierce
Before undergoing a surgical operation, arrange your temporal affairs. You may live. – Ambrose Bierce
Slavery is so intolerable a condition that the slave can hardly escape deluding himself into thinking that he is choosing to obey his masters commands when, in fact, he is obliged to. Most slaves of habit suffer from this delusion and so do some writers, enslaved by an all too personal style. – W. H. Auden