17 Mark Twain Quotes That Are as Relatable Today as They Were Then
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri, was an American writer renowned for his wit, satire, and keen observations of society. Growing up along the Mississippi River in Hannibal, Missouri, Twain worked as a printer’s apprentice and later as a riverboat pilot, adopting the pseudonym “Mark Twain.”
He gained fame with novels like “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1876) and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1885), which explored themes of race, morality, and societal hypocrisy. Beyond fiction, Twain wrote essays, travelogues, and speeches, earning him recognition as one of America’s greatest literary figures. Despite financial setbacks, he traveled widely, lecturing around the world and befriending notable figures like Ulysses S. Grant and Nikola Tesla. Twain’s humor, storytelling, and profound insights into the human condition continue to inspire readers and writers. He passed away on April 21, 1910, leaving behind a lasting legacy as a literary icon.
1. On telling the truth
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything”
2. On buying land
“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”
3. On doing the right thing
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
4. On denial
“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.”
5. On education
“Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.”
6. On truth and fiction
“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.”
7. On accomplishment
“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
8. On getting it over with
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
9. On troubles
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
10. On the size of the dog
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
11. On forgiveness
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
12. On courage
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
13. On cheering yourself up
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
14. On actions and words
“Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”
15. On aging
“Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.”
16. On success
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.”
17. On compliments
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
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