“ OPPORTUNITY, n. A favorable occasion for grasping a disappointment. ”
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (1906). copy citation
| Author | Ambrose Bierce |
|---|---|
| Source | The Devil's Dictionary |
| Topic | disappointment opportunity |
| Date | 1906 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/972/972-h/972-h.htm |
Context
“All acting is simulation, and the word simulation is from simia, an ape; but in opera the actor takes for his model Simia audibilis (or Pithecanthropos stentor)—the ape that howls.
The actor apes a man—at least in shape; The opera performer apes an ape.
OPIATE, n. An unlocked door in the prison of Identity. It leads into the jail yard.
OPPORTUNITY, n. A favorable occasion for grasping a disappointment.
OPPOSE, v. To assist with obstructions and objections.
How lonely he who thinks to vex With bandinage the Solemn Sex! Of levity, Mere Man, beware; None but the Grave deserve the Unfair.
Percy P. Orminder” source
The actor apes a man—at least in shape; The opera performer apes an ape.
OPIATE, n. An unlocked door in the prison of Identity. It leads into the jail yard.
OPPORTUNITY, n. A favorable occasion for grasping a disappointment.
OPPOSE, v. To assist with obstructions and objections.
How lonely he who thinks to vex With bandinage the Solemn Sex! Of levity, Mere Man, beware; None but the Grave deserve the Unfair.
Percy P. Orminder” source
Meaning and analysis
