Age Quote by Ambrose Bierce
“ASS, n. A public singer with a good voice but no ear. In Virginia City, Nevada, he is called the Washoe Canary, in Dakota, the Senator, and everywhere the Donkey. The animal is widely and variously celebrated in the literature, art and religion of every age and country; no other so engages and fires the human imagination as this noble vertebrate. Indeed, it is doubted by some (Ramasilus, _lib. II., De Clem._, and C. Stantatus, _De Temperamente_) if it is not a god; and as such we know it was worshiped by the Etruscans, and, if we may believe Macrobious, by the Cupasians also. Of the only two animals admitted into the Mahometan Paradise along with the souls of men, the ass that carried Balaam is one, the dog of the Seven Sleepers the other. This is no small distinction. From what has been written about this beast might be compiled a library of great splendor and magnitude, rivalling that of the Shakespearean cult, and that which clusters about the Bible. It may be said, generally, that”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Ass” from The Devil’s Dictionary, 1906
He humorously glorifies the donkey, highlighting its cultural significance and absurd reverence.
In simple terms: Donkeys are oddly revered across cultures.
Recognize the absurdity in over‑celebrating the mundane.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- literary analysis
- teaching cultural history
- creative writing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this satire reveal about human values?
- Why do we elevate simple creatures?
May overstate the donkey’s importance.