"Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs"

Ambrose Bierce, with his characteristic wit and cynicism, redefines the notion of a coward through a sharp twist of language. He describes a coward not as someone lacking courage, but as one whose instinct in the face of danger is to rely on physical escape rather than standing firm. "Thinks with his legs" is a clever way to express the act of fleeing, emphasizing an almost automatic, bodily response over rational deliberation or bravery. The suggestion is that, under threat, the coward’s intellect is bypassed, and the legs become the vehicle of thought , they carry the individual away to safety.

This interpretation sidesteps moral condemnation, instead approaching cowardice as a practical, perhaps evolutionary, action. Bierce’s tone lends an almost grudging admiration, or at least an acknowledgement of self-preservation as a form of intelligence encoded not in reason, but in physical instinct. By humorously attributing thought to the legs, he deconstructs the dichotomy of courage and cowardice, inviting readers to question whether it is truly irrational to flee when faced with peril, or whether society too harshly judges those who choose survival over valor.

Furthermore, Bierce’s dry humor exposes the subjectivity in how qualities like bravery and cowardice are defined. He suggests that what may appear as cowardice could actually be swift, life-saving decision-making. The phrase offers a sly critique of traditional heroic ideals, inferring that those who escape danger using their legs might, in another light, be seen as practical or shrewd rather than dishonorable.

In essence, Bierce’s definition encapsulates his broader worldview , skeptical, irreverent, and unafraid to mock the prideful illusions humans hold about themselves. By recasting cowardice as a form of physical thinking, he blurs the lines between mind and body, action and intention, poking fun at the simplistic labels society assigns.