# CCVI explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief aphoristic chapter asserting that to live is to believe, and that the most credulous person is the one who believes they are incredulous.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

The chapter explores the paradox of self-deception, where the claim of incredulity is itself a form of belief.

## Key lines

> To live is to believe. The most credulous of mortals is he who is persuaded of his incredulity.

Existence itself requires faith; the person who thinks they are most skeptical is actually the most gullible.

_The narrator presents a philosophical paradox about belief and self-awareness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/ccvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters