The Members of a Legislature, being told that they were the
meanest thieves in the world, resolved to commit suicide.
So they bought shrouds, and laying them in a convenient place
prepared to cut their throats. While they were grinding
their razors some Tramps passing that way stole the shrouds.
“Let us live, my friends,” said one of the
Legislators to the others; “the world is better than we thought. It contains meaner thieves than we.”
________________
With today’s news that many Members of the Legislature in our nation’s capital arrive poor and leave rich, it seems that Mr. Bierce was more than prescient. One has to wonder when a member of the legislature has a vastly superior return on investment when compared to Warren Buffet, the financial “Oracle of Omaha”. A pity Bierce’s politicians found a way to postpone their demise. Let’s see and hope if today’s Congress can reform itself.
*Source: FANTASTIC FABLES By AMBROSE BIERCE, New York and London: G. P. PUTNAM & SONS, The Knickerbocker Press, 1899. Excerpt from: “OLD SAWS WITH NEW TEETH; CERTAIN ANCIENT FABLES APPLIED TO THE LIFE OF OUR TIMES.”
N.B. For other essays on numerous topics on leadership and literature and fables go to my Nucleus archive from 2010-early 2025.
© Copyright commentary by John Lubans 2026