Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer. Among his novels are The Adventures of Tom Sawyerand its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the latter often called "The Great American Novel"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth30 November 1835
CountryUnited States of America
content contentment material merely spirit
Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.
arrogance kindness scientist start theory
A scientist will never show any kindness for a theory which he did not start himself.
man precious universal
The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession, what there is of it
advice lessons mistakes
There are no mistakes in life, there are only lessons to be learned: Adivce to the Youth.
creature fact knows man moral proves wrong
The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.
curiosity feeling gained knowledge lost prying rainbow reverent savage
We have not the reverent feeling for the rainbow that a savage has, because we know how it is made. We have lost as much as we gained by prying into that matter.
eat fight food inside life secret success
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside
engaged felt plan pleasantly queer remind
Part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in
deal facts ourselves
We do not deal much in facts when we are contemplating ourselves
idiots language paris simply spoke stared succeed understand
In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language
approved attend explaining letter nice refused wrote
I refused to attend his funeral. But I wrote a very nice letter explaining that I approved of it.
born heads knew men millions nor passed philosophy single
I knew I should not find in any philosophy a single thought which had not passed through my own head, nor a single thought which had not passed through the heads of millions and millions of men before I was born
confidence man particle redeeming
I have not a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming vices.
blend father man mind mother perfect
By his father he is English, by his mother he is American - to my mind the blend which makes the perfect man