--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and…" description: "\"“PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. The wisdom of a million fool..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/ambrose-bierce-140_books_platitude-n-the-fundamental-element-and_1639949.jpg" --- # PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of… ![“PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. The wisdom of a million fools in the diction of a dullard. A fossil sentiment in artificial rock. A moral without the fable. All that is mortal of a departed truth. A…” quote by Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/ambrose-bierce-140_books_platitude-n-the-fundamental-element-and_1639949.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/ambrose-bierce-140_books_platitude-n-the-fundamental-element-and_1639949.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/ambrose-bierce-140_books_platitude-n-the-fundamental-element-and_1639949.jpg) > ““PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. The wisdom of a million fools in the diction of a dullard. A fossil sentiment in artificial rock. A moral without the fable. All that is mortal of a departed truth. A demi-tasse of milk-and-mortality. The Pope's-nose of a featherless peacock. A jelly-fish withering on the shore of the sea of thought. The cackle surviving the egg. A desiccated epigram.”” [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Satirically defines "plitudeitude" as shallow, pretentious literature lacking substance **In simple terms:** Critique of pretentious, empty writing Key Takeaway Seek depth and authenticity in writing Themes literature satire critique Mood wry skeptical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - book reviews - creative writing workshops - literary criticism Key Concepts semantic emptiness cultural decay Questions to Reflect On - How can writers avoid empty rhetoric? - What makes literature truly meaningful? A Different Perspective Some may argue that all art is subjective and value‑laden ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fools Diction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fools-diction-557908/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Platitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platitude-414152/) [Platitude Fundamental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platitude-fundamental-557907/) [Platitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platitudes/) [Popular literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-literature/) [Sentiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiment/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. All that is mortal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/platitude-n-the-fundamental-element-and-special-glory-of-popular-2/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Platitude: All that is mortal of a departed truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/platitude-all-that-is-mortal-of-a-departed-truth/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [applause, n. The echo of a platitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/applause-n-the-echo-of-a-platitude/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [It is strange how long we rebel against a platitude until suddenly in a different lingo it looms up again as the only verity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-strange-how-long-we-rebel-against-a-platitude-until-suddenly-in/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Nothing is more tedious than the dreaming platitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/nothing-is-more-tedious-than-the-dreaming-platitude/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude-but the fact is that, in the day-to-day trenches of adult existence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/stated-as-an-english-sentence-of-course-this-is-just-a-banal/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [One likes to think there's something in it, that old platitude amor vincit omnia. But if I've learned one thing in my short sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/one-likes-to-think-there-s-something-in-it-that-old-platitude-amor/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [If some dude I'd never heard of managed to broadcast a platitude like that to the whole globe, I'd probably just feel like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-kulash/if-some-dude-i-d-never-heard-of-managed-to-broadcast-a-platitude-like/) [Damian Kulash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-kulash/) > [The aphorism: a platitude that swerves, or slides all the way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-aphorism-a-platitude-that-swerves-or-slides-all-the-way-around/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Funny how people despise platitudes, when they are usually the truest thing going. A thing has to be pretty true before it gets to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-fullerton-gerould/funny-how-people-despise-platitudes-when-they-are-usually-the-truest/) [Katharine Fullerton Gerould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-fullerton-gerould/) > [Platitude: a statement that denies by implication what it explicitly affirms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/platitude-a-statement-that-denies-by-implication-what-it-explicitly/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Korean feminism is on the brink of death. Korea has a less clear boundary between popular literature and serious literature than in other countries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/korean-feminism-is-on-the-brink-of-death-korea-has-a-less-clear/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [Gossip is more popular than literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-leonard/gossip-is-more-popular-than-literature/) [Hugh Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-leonard/) > [And all over the world, the old literature, the popular literature, is the same. It consists of very dignified sorrow and very undignified fun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/and-all-over-the-world-the-old-literature-the-popular-literature-is/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I am not recommending "popular" literature which aims at the lowest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-am-not-recommending-popular-literature-which-aims-at-the-lowest/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## More by Ambrose Bierce > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/immoral-adj-inexpedient-whatever-in-the-long-run-and-with-regard-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rubbish-n-worthless-matter-such-as-the-religions-philosophies/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There was never a genius who was not thought a fool until he disclosed himself; whereas he is a fool then only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/there-was-never-a-genius-who-was-not-thought-a-fool-until-he/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/telephone-n-an-invention-of-the-devil-which-abrogates-some-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/jealous-adj-unduly-concerned-about-the-preservation-of-that-which-can/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ridicule-n-words-designed-to-show-that-the-person-of-whom-they-are/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Think twice before you speak to a friend in need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/think-twice-before-you-speak-to-a-friend-in-need/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [TARIFF, n. A scale of taxes on imports, designed to protect the domestic producer against the greed of his consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/tariff-n-a-scale-of-taxes-on-imports-designed-to-protect-the-domestic/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A bad marriage is like an electrical thrilling machine: it makes you dance, but you can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-bad-marriage-is-like-an-electrical-thrilling-machine-it-makes-you/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Explore all 1,157 Ambrose Bierce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“PLATITUDE, n. The fundamental element and special glory of popular literature. A thought that snores in words that smoke. The wisdom of a million fools in the diction of a dullard. A fossil sentiment in artificial rock. A moral without the fable. All that is mortal of a departed truth. A demi-tasse of milk-and-mortality. The Pope's-nose of a featherless peacock. A jelly-fish withering on the shore of the sea of thought. The cackle surviving the egg. 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