Bitter Quotes
Aborigines, n.: Persons of little worth found cumbering the soil of a newly discovered country. They soon cease to cumber; they fertilize.
"Aborigines, n.: Persons of little worth found cumbering the soil of a newly discovered country. They soon cease to cumber; they fertilize."— Ambrose Bierce
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Meaning of this quote
The entry exposes colonial dehumanization through vicious satire, not an endorsement of it.
Key takeaway:
Read the historical language critically and recognize the people it describes as fully human.
Origin of the quote
The Devil’s Dictionary.
Who actually said this?
VerifiedMatched in Bierce’s satirical dictionary; dictionary labels and punctuation may be omitted in the supplied title. These are satirical definitions, not neutral factual definitions.



























