Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), best known to the world by his pen-name Mark Twain, was an author and humorist, noted for his novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been called “the Great American Novel”, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), among many others.
Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which provided the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. After an apprenticeship with a printer, he worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion’s newspaper. He later became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion in Nevada. He referred humorously to his singular lack of success at mining, turning to journalism for theVirginia City Territorial Enterprise. In 1865, his humorous story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” was published, based on a story he heard at Angels Hotel in Angels Camp California where he had spent some time as a miner. The short story brought international attention, even being translated to classic Greek. His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
Though Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he invested in ventures that lost a great deal of money, notably the Paige Compositor, which failed because of its complexity and imprecision. In the wake of these financial setbacks he filed for protection from his creditors via a bankruptcy filing, and with the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers eventually overcame his financial troubles. Twain chose to pay all his pre-bankruptcy creditors in full, though he had no responsibility to do this under the law.
Twain was born shortly after a visit by Halley’s Comet, and he predicted that he would “go out with it,” too. He died the day following the comet’s subsequent return. He was lauded as the “greatest American humorist of his age, and William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature.” Wikipedia
Mark Twain
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life.
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.
The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
The citizen who sees his society’s democratic clothes being worn out and does not cry it out, is not a patriot, but a traitor.
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.
The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.
The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.
The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.
The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.
The streets of hell are paved with good intentions.
The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession, what there is of it.
The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.
There are several good protections against temptations, but the surest is cowardice.
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does all the work.
Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
Truth is more of a stranger than fiction.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.
Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody.
When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear.
When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.
When in doubt tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your friends.
When in doubt, tell the truth.
When you cannot get a compliment any other way, pay yourself one.
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.
Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.
You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.