Twain in his later years. With three of his four children and wife dead, he became depressed and bitter.
I went a little quote crazy this week, inspired by a recent visit to the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT. Hope you enjoy!
1. “Courage is resistance to fear, master of fear – not absence of fear.”
Main entryway leading to a lavish foyer.
2. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
3. “Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it an remove all doubt.”
4. “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself. “
5. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
The Gothic-style house cost $40,000 to build, which translates into over $6 million in today’s money.
6. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
7. “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
8. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
The next great American writer?
9. “I have never let schooling interfere with my education.”
10. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
Which Twain quote is your favorite?
I love his words. One of my favorites, including those in this list is…life would be infinitely more enjoyable if we were born at the age of 80 and gradually approached 18.
I had a Twain tie with that quote written in the back…:)
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I love that one, too. I almost included it. It reminds me of the Jack Kornfield poem, Reverse Living. Here’s a link to it if you want to read it: http://silviamordini.mypadas.com/reverse-living/
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I’ve always loved that poem, especially the last line. Thank you for reminding me of it again..:)
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Very nice, I like #5
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Yes, it’s a great reminder to be careful of the company we keep.
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Such wonderful quotes.
Number 3.
My favourite. 😎
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Yes, a good one and something I sometimes need to be reminded of lol.
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It’s hard to pick, because there isn’t a bad quote in that whole bunch! All of them had lots of wisdom. But right at the moment, I’d pick number 10. As someone who habitually tried to please people by telling them what they want to hear, I found that just stating the truth (nicely, when necessary) is very liberating. And works great since I have a horrible memory.
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There’s so many more great quotes by him but I thought 10 was already pushing it😊
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Mark Twain sure had a way with words. I love all the quotes, and can’t decide which is my favorite. 🙂
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He certainly did. It was hard deciding which 10 to choose. Glad you liked them all.
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I think number two is my favourite! 🙂 xx
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It’s a good reminder that it’s all about our attitude 😊
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My favorite was this one: “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
It’s important to make certain that our thoughts are our own, and we’re not merely being cleverly led down a rabbit hole.
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I like that one a lot, too. Even all these years later it is relevant, especially given the current state of American politics. Thanks for visiting by blog and taking time to comment, Cathleen. I appreciate it! I look forward to stopping by yours on the weekend when I have time to read it proper.
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I like them all, but I guess numbers 2 and 5 mean the most to me. There are so many fabulous Mark Twain quotes out there, I sometimes wonder if the man was even capable of writing a dull sentence.
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He was definitely a gregarious character with a great sense of humor. I had no idea how many great quotes are attributed to him until my visit to his house and museum, where they had them etched in various places. Number 5 really resonates with me, too.
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It is a good one! 🙂
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My favorite is number 10 🙂 what a fun post!
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I saved that one for last because it is so simple, yet so true and profound, I thought it was a good one to end with. Thanks, it was fun writing this post and visiting his house. I was trying to channel some of his creative energy while there, lol.
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oh im sure you did i mean really how could you not?! I love soaking up the energy of historical places and taking it with me when i go. i do believe it feeds your soul! 🙂
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Clever quotes that make you think, and could this possibly be the place where humour begins to glimmer through our writing endeavours ?
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Could be! Twain’s novels sure are funny. All light and bright Kind of humor.
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