‘War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.”
This quote is commonly attributed to Ambrose Bierce, the American journalist and satirist, who fell off the map in Revolutionary Mexico in 1913, never to be seen again. However, as pointed out by an alert reader (see comments), the quote has never been established as originating with Bierce and may well derive from “War was God’s way of teaching us geography”, a line delivered by comedian Paul Rodriguez in 1987 (quoted in the LA Times).
To ensure that this post has a link to Mexico, In The Devil’s Dictionary, Bierce defined Boundary:
BOUNDARY, n. “In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations, separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of the other.”
The changing political frontiers of Mexico are the subject of chapter 12 of Geo-Mexico: the geography and dynamics of modern Mexico, your handy reference guide to all aspects of Mexico’s geography. Ask your local library to buy a copy TODAY! Also available from amazon.com
2 Responses to “Quote of the day: “War was God’s way of teaching Americans geography””
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Bierce didn’t say that! Do some research! Most likely Paul Rodriguez, the commedian, said it in 1986, as reported in the LA Times. Again, just research it on the web for about 45 seconds!
Thanks for the correction, which has been incorporated into the post. Maybe some of the other 10 million sites that attribute the quote to Bierce will now follow suit!