Ambrose Bierce Biography

Ambrose Bierce, Journalist
Born asAmbrose Gwinnett Bierce
Occup.Journalist
FromUSA
BornJune 24, 1842
Meigs County, Ohio, United States
DiedDecember 26, 1914
Disappeared, Unknown
Aged72 years
Early Life
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce, an American journalist, author, and also civil rights lobbyist, was born on June 24, 1842, in the rural settlement of Horse Cave Creek, Meigs County, Ohio. He was the 10th of 13 youngsters birthed to Marcus Aurelius Bierce as well as Laura Sherwood Bierce, that had actually relocated to the location from New York trying to find opportunities in the Midwest. The Bierce household was of English origins, and as a result of their deep rate of interest in literary works, Ambrose was called after a character in among his papa's favorite publications.

Ambrose's early life was filled with complicated family members characteristics, as his father was a stringent disciplinarian, who deeply counted on the worth of education and learning. Laura Bierce, Ambrose's mommy, was a deeply religious woman who significantly influenced her youngsters's adherence to Christianity. Ambrose participated in numerous schools during his young people, ultimately enlisting in the Kentucky Military Institute.

Civil War as well as Military Service
Ambrose Bierce's armed forces job started when he employed in the Union Army in 1861, complying with the outbreak of the Civil War. He offered with distinction as a topographical officer and climbed through the ranks, mostly offering with the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Bierce fought in a number of crucial fights, consisting of Shiloh, Chickamauga, and also Kennesaw Mountain.

In 1864, he was severely injured in the head at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain as well as was no more able to do his military tasks. Following his injury, Bierce was transferred to the role of sustaining the Union's topographical study help the remainder of the dispute. After the battle, Bierce traveled with components of the South, documenting the damage as well as transforming it right into journalistic material.

Journalism as well as Writing Career
In 1867, Bierce started working as a writer as well as editor for numerous papers prior to transferring to San Francisco in 1868, drawn by the bohemian atmosphere and also literary scene of the city. He began working as a journalist and also author for the San Francisco News Letter, under the guidance of author Frederick Marriott. Bierce acquired a credibility for his ridiculing items striking corruption, fraud, as well as deception in society.

Ambrose Bierce worked for William Randolph Hearst's newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner, in the 1880s and also 1890s. Throughout his time there, he remained to acquire notoriety for his satirical items, biting wit, and advocacy for civil liberties.

Bierce became a well known number in both the literary and also journalistic circles, coming to be close friends with renowned author Mark Twain and journalists H. L. Mencken and also George Sterling. He became known for his pessimistic worldview and his aphoristic style which gained him the nickname "Bitter Bierce".

Bierce's literary works consist of "The Fiend's Delight" (1873), "Cobwebs from an Empty Skull" (1874), as well as "The Devil's Dictionary" (1906)-- a ridiculing dictionary having sharp definitions concerning human nature as well as culture. Bierce is particularly well-known for his collection of Civil War-- based narratives, "Tales of Soldiers as well as Civilians" (1891), which includes the renowned tale "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge".

His war experiences significantly influenced his writing, which commonly depicted the brutality and also horrors of conflict and was identified by a pessimistic mindset toward humanity.

Loss and Death
In 1913, at the age of 71, Ambrose Bierce made a decision to travel to Mexico to witness the country's transformation firsthand. Bierce wrote letters to pals and colleagues during his trip, as well as his last recognized interaction is dated December 26, 1913. Hereafter day, his fate remains an enigma.

Different concepts have actually been suggested concerning his disappearance, consisting of that he was executed by Pancho Villa or other innovative pressures, or that he took his own life. Nevertheless, regardless of the absence of concrete evidence, his loss has actually just offered to deepen Bierce's aura and boost the legacy of his literary work.

Ambrose Bierce's life was defined by his complex occupation as an author, journalist, and civil rights lobbyist. With his attacking wit and also sharp discourse, Bierce aided clarify the social and political concerns of his time, leaving a body of work that remains relevant and involving more than a century after his fatality.

Our collection contains 125 quotes who is written / told by Ambrose, under the main topics: Business - Sports - Education - Power - Experience.

Related authors: H. L. Mencken (Writer), Marcus Aurelius (Soldier), Mark Twain (Author), William Randolph (Politician), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), William Randolph Hearst (Publisher)

Ambrose Bierce Famous Works:
Source / external links:

125 Famous quotes by Ambrose Bierce

Small: All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher
"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher"
Small: To be positive is to be mistaken at the top of ones voice
"To be positive is to be mistaken at the top of one's voice"
Small: Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility
"Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility"
Small: The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff
"The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff"
Small: Meekness: Uncommon patience in planning a revenge that is worth while
"Meekness: Uncommon patience in planning a revenge that is worth while"
Small: Mayonnaise: One of the sauces which serve the French in place of a state religion
"Mayonnaise: One of the sauces which serve the French in place of a state religion"
Small: Life - a spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay
"Life - a spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay"
Small: There are four kinds of Homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy
"There are four kinds of Homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy"
Small: Impartial - unable to perceive any promise of personal advantage from espousing either side of a contro
"Impartial - unable to perceive any promise of personal advantage from espousing either side of a controversy"
Small: Sabbath - a weekly festival having its origin in the fact that God made the world in six days and was a
"Sabbath - a weekly festival having its origin in the fact that God made the world in six days and was arrested on the seventh"
Small: Religion. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable
"Religion. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable"
Small: War is Gods way of teaching Americans geography
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography"
Small: Ability is commonly found to consist mainly in a high degree of solemnity
"Ability is commonly found to consist mainly in a high degree of solemnity"
Small: Abstainer: a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure
"Abstainer: a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure"
Small: Absence blots people out. We really have no absent friends
"Absence blots people out. We really have no absent friends"
Small: Admiration, n. Our polite recognition of anothers resemblance to ourselves
"Admiration, n. Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves"
Small: Learning, n. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious
"Learning, n. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious"
Small: Inventor: A person who makes an ingenious arrangement of wheels, levers and springs, and believes it ci
"Inventor: A person who makes an ingenious arrangement of wheels, levers and springs, and believes it civilization"
Small: Friendless. Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common
"Friendless. Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense"
Small: Doubt, indulged and cherished, is in danger of becoming denial but if honest, and bent on thorough inve
"Doubt, indulged and cherished, is in danger of becoming denial; but if honest, and bent on thorough investigation, it may soon lead to full establishment of the truth"
Small: Convent - a place of retirement for women who wish for leisure to meditate upon the sin of idleness
"Convent - a place of retirement for women who wish for leisure to meditate upon the sin of idleness"
Small: Creditor. One of a tribe of savages dwelling beyond the Financial Straits and dreaded for their desolat
"Creditor. One of a tribe of savages dwelling beyond the Financial Straits and dreaded for their desolating incursions"
Small: Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs
"Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs"
Small: Bacchus, n.: A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk
"Bacchus, n.: A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk"
Small: Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their rea
"Men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt"
Small: Architect. One who drafts a plan of your house, and plans a draft of your money
"Architect. One who drafts a plan of your house, and plans a draft of your money"
Small: History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers,
"History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools"
Small: Historian - a broad-gauge gossip
"Historian - a broad-gauge gossip"
Small: I never said all Democrats were saloonkeepers. What I said was that all saloonkeepers are Democrats
"I never said all Democrats were saloonkeepers. What I said was that all saloonkeepers are Democrats"
Small: Education, n.: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understand
"Education, n.: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding"
Small: Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate
"Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate"
Small: Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent
"Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent"
Small: Dawn: When men of reason go to bed
"Dawn: When men of reason go to bed"
Small: Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be
"Cynic, n: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be"
Small: Curiosity, n. An objectionable quality of the female mind. The desire to know whether or not a woman is
"Curiosity, n. An objectionable quality of the female mind. The desire to know whether or not a woman is cursed with curiosity is one of the most active and insatiable passions of the masculine soul"
Small: Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to
"Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm"
Small: I believe we shall come to care about people less and less. The more people one knows the easier it bec
"I believe we shall come to care about people less and less. The more people one knows the easier it becomes to replace them. It's one of the curses of London"
Small: Heaven lies about us in our infancy and the world begins lying about us pretty soon afterward
"Heaven lies about us in our infancy and the world begins lying about us pretty soon afterward"
Small: Experience is a revelation in the light of which we renounce our errors of youth for those of age
"Experience is a revelation in the light of which we renounce our errors of youth for those of age"
Small: Experience - the wisdom that enables us to recognise in an undesirable old acquaintance the folly that
"Experience - the wisdom that enables us to recognise in an undesirable old acquaintance the folly that we have already embraced"
Small: Eulogy. Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to b
"Eulogy. Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead"
Small: Erudition - dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull
"Erudition - dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull"
Small: Enthusiasm - a distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward appl
"Enthusiasm - a distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward applications of experience"
Small: Eloquence, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the color that it appears to be. It incl
"Eloquence, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the color that it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any color appear white"
Small: Egotist: a person more interested in himself than in me
"Egotist: a person more interested in himself than in me"
Small: Egotism, n: Doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen
"Egotism, n: Doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen"
Small: Ardor, n. The quality that distinguishes love without knowledge
"Ardor, n. The quality that distinguishes love without knowledge"
Small: Consult: To seek approval for a course of action already decided upon
"Consult: To seek approval for a course of action already decided upon"
Small: Bore, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen
"Bore, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen"
Small: Bigot: One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain
"Bigot: One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain"
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