Patriotism, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is d… - Ambrose Bierce

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Patriotism, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit it is the first.

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About Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – date of death uncertain; probably late 1912 or early 1914) was an American satirist, critic, short story writer, editor and journalist. He is perhaps most famous for his serialized mock lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary, in which, over the years, he scathed American culture and accepted wisdom by pointing out alternate, more practical definitions for common words.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Birth Name: Ambrose Gwinnetter Bierice
Alternative Names: Dod Grile William Herman Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce
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Additional quotes by Ambrose Bierce

TELEPHONE n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.

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