Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.

Twain enjoyed immense public popularity. His keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature”.

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” – Mark Twain

“Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” – Mark Twain

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain

“All you need is ignorance & confidence; then success is sure.”  -Mark Twain

“Always do right – this will gratify some and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” – Mark Twain

“Common sense is very uncommon.” – Mark Twain

“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” – Mark Twain

“Eloquence is the essential thing in a speech, not information.” -Mark Twain

“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” – Mark Twain

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” -Mark Twain

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.” – Mark Twain

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain

“It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them.” -Mark Twain

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain

“I’ve had many trials and problems in my life . . . most of which never happened to me.” – Mark Twain

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”-  Mark Twain

“Let us so live life that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” – Mark Twain

“Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.” – Mark Twain

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” – Mark Twain

“Name the greatest of all inventors. . . Accident.” – Mark Twain

“Necessity is the mother of taking chances.” – Mark Twain

“Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.” – Mark Twain

“Secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks n2 small manageable tasks, & then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

“Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” – Mark Twain

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”  – Mark Twain

“The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.” – Mark Twain

“The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.” – Mark Twain

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause. -Mark Twain

“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.”  – Mark Twain

“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain

“When angry, count four; when very angry, swear.” – Mark Twain

“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.” – Mark Twain

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” – Mark Twain

“When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.” – Mark Twain

“Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” – Mark Twain

“You can’t depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain