WIST Quotations

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

Dave — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:49:48 +0000

GENEALOGY, n. An account of one’s descent from an ancestor who did not particularly care to trace his own.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Genealogy,” 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 (1885-02-21).

~Proverbs and Sayings -- German Proverb

Dave — Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:18:36 +0000

Mules are always boasting that their ancestors are horses.

Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
German Proverb

Heinlein, Robert A. -- Time Enough for Love (1973)

Dave — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 14:50:59 +0000

This sad little lizard told me that he was a Brontosaurus on his mother’s side. I did not laugh; people who boast of ancestry often have little else to sustain them. Humoring them costs nothing and adds to happiness in a world in which happiness is in short supply.

Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) American writer
Time Enough for Love (1973)