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ADAGE, n. A hoary-headed platitude that is kicked along the centuries until nothing is left of it but its clothes. A “saw” which has worn out its teeth on the human understanding.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Adage,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1881-03-05)

More about this quote: wist.info/bierce-ambrose/81811…

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Bierce, Ambrose - "Adage," "Devil's Dictionary" column, San Francisco Wasp (1881-03-05) | WIST Quotations

ADAGE, n. A hoary-headed platitude that is kicked along the centuries until nothing is left of it but its clothes. A “saw” which has worn out its teeth on the human understanding. Not collected in later books. Instead, in The Cynic's Word Book (1906), he changed it to "Boned wisdom…

WIST Quotations

WIST Quotations Has Moved!Aug 27, 2025

A quotation from Chris Boucher

THE DOCTOR: Would you like a jelly baby?
LEELA: It’s true then! They say the Evil One eats babies.
THE DOCTOR: You mustn’t believe all they say.

Chris Boucher (1943-2022) British TV screenwriter, script editor, novelist
Doctor Who (1963), 14×04 “The Face of Evil,” Part 1 (1977-01-01)

More info about this quote: wist.info/boucher-chris/4641/

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WIST Quotations Has Moved!Jun 23, 2025

A quotation from Nicolas Chamfort

Often an opinion, a custom, seems absurd when we are young, and advancing in life, we find the reason. Mustn’t we conclude that certain habits aren’t so ridiculous? One is lead to think sometimes that they were established by people who had read the entire book of life, and that they are judged by people who, despite their esprit, have only read a few pages.

[Souvent une opinion, une coutume commence à paraître absurde dans la première jeunesse, et en avançant dans la vie, on en trouve la raison; elle paraît moins absurde. En faudrait-il conclure que de certaines coutumes sont moins ridicules? On serait porté à penser quelquefois qu’elles ont été établies par des gens qui avaient lu le livre entier de la vie, et qu’elles sont jugées par des gens qui, malgré leur esprit, n’en ont lu que quelques pages.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 1, ¶ 21 (1795) [tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/chamfort-nicolas/770…

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