# CXVIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief dialogue where a woman claims her laws are part of herself and read by examining her heart, and a man responds that like Moses' laws, hers are also engraved upon stone.

## Key lines

> My laws are of myself a part: I read them by examining my heart.

The woman asserts that her moral code is intrinsic to her being and can be understood through introspection.

_The speaker claims self-derived morality._

> True; like those to Moses known, Thine also are engraven upon stone.

The man agrees but points out that her laws, like the Ten Commandments, are fixed and externalized.

_The reply suggests that even self-derived laws become rigid and inscribed._

## Links

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