Billings, Josh -- Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1876-07 (1876 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:09:54 +0000

I am allwuss more than haff afraid ov the man, who kant talk 5 minnitts with me, on enny subjekt, without expressing grate anxiety about my soul.

[I am always more than half afraid of the man who can’t talk five minutes with me, on any subject, without expressing great anxiety about my soul.]

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1876-07 (1876 ed.)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Evangelist,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Dave — Tue, 21 May 2024 14:32:05 +0000

EVANGELIST, n. A bearer of good tidings, particularly (in a religious sense) such as assure us of our own salvation, and the damnation of our neighbors.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Evangelist,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911). Originally published in the "Devil's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Wasp (1884-05-24).

The original entry in the Wasp concluded: “The evangelists proper are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the evangelists improper are the parsons."

WIST Quotations

Billings, Josh -- Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1876-07 (1876 ed.)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Evangelist,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)