Inspirational Quotes by Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Inspirational Quotations by Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910) was an American novelist and humorist. He took his nom de plume Mark Twain after the sounding calls of steamboatmen on the Mississippi River, on the banks of which he was brought up. The pseudonym is believed to have been a river navigation phrase meaning “two fathoms deep.”

Born in Florida, Missouri, Twain studied up to fifth grade and quit school when his father died. He supported his family first as a typesetter and later as a riverboat captain until the Civil War broke out in 1861. He then headed west, worked as a miner, and eventually became a journalist.

By 1866, Twain had gained national fame as a humorist and travel writer. He traveled to the Mediterranean and the Holy Land and subsequently published a comic account of his voyages and his American fellow-travelers, The Innocents Abroad (1869.)

Twain is much celebrated for three novels that are often used as academic texts, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876,) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885,) and Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894,) all of which give a vivid evocation of frontier life in the Mississippi valley. Twain’s writings are characterized by his natural wit, social criticism, and a keen understanding of human nature. He toured widely as a renowned public speaker and continued to write until his death of a heart attack.

Twain’s later books, such as The Mysterious Stranger (1916,) are often satirical and cynical, possibly in reaction to the conservative social milieu of his wife. He spent his last years dictating his autobiography—which had been the subject of many of his writing.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Mark Twain

Inspirational Quotes by Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered—either by themselves or by others.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Genius, Confidence

Adam was but human — this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple’s sake, he wanted it only because it was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the serpent; then he would have eaten the serpent.
—Mark Twain

Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Civilization

Familiarity breeds contempt. How accurate that is. The reason we hold truth in such respect is because we have so little opportunity to get familiar with it.
—Mark Twain

How little a thing can make us happy when we fell that we have earned it.
—Mark Twain

That’s what an army is—a mob; they don’t fight with courage that’s born in them, but with courage that’s borrowed from their mass, and from their officers.
—Mark Twain
Topics: The Military, Army, Navy

Human pride is not worthwhile; there is always something lying in wait to take the wind out of it.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Pride

Wit and Humor—if any difference, it is in duration—lightning and electric light. Same material, apparently; but one is vivid, and can do damage—the other fools along and enjoys elaboration.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Humor, Wit

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.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Consumerism

October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Vision, Economics, Money, Prophecy, Difficulty

Age is a question of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!
Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Age

It is human to exaggerate the merits of the dead.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Exaggeration

There was never a century nor a country that was short of experts who knew the Deity’s mind and were willing to reveal it.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Religion

I’ve seen many troubles in my time, only half of which ever came true
—Mark Twain
Topics: Worry

We had the sky up there, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss whether they was made or just happened.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Religion

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Age, Smiles, Smiling, Smile

In all the ages, three-fourths of the support of the great charities has been conscience money.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Conscience

Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is, knows how deep a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our race. He brought death into the world.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Death, Dying

Prosperity is the best protector of principle.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Principles

Education consists mainly in what we have unlearned.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Education

I do not like work even when someone else does it.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Work

It is better to give than receive- especially advice.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Giving, One liners

True irreverence is disrespect for another man’s god.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Respect

A joke, even if it be a lame one, is nowhere so keenly relished or quickly applauded as in a murder trial.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Trials, Jokes, Justice

You can’t pray a lie.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Prayer, Lies

Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us there.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Trouble

The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes from the talk.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Walking

Laughter is the greatest weapon that we humans possess and it’s the one we use the least.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Laughter

God’s great cosmic joke on the human race was requiring that men and women live together in marriage
—Mark Twain
Topics: Marriage

A human being has a natural desire to have more of a good thing than he needs.
—Mark Twain
Topics: Desire