Mark Twain was a renowned American writer and humorist, known for his wit and wisdom.
His quotes are often characterized by their sharp observations, clever wordplay, and insightful commentary on human nature.
Here are some of the key characteristics of Mark Twain quotes:
- Humor: Mark Twain was known for his wit and his ability to make people laugh. Many of his quotes are funny, with a sharp sense of humor that often skewers hypocrisy and pretension.
- Irony: Twain’s quotes are often characterized by irony, where the meaning is opposite of what is expected. His use of irony highlights the absurdity of certain situations and reveals deeper truths about human nature.
- Satire: Twain was a master of satire, using humor to critique society and its institutions. Many of his quotes are satirical, poking fun at the establishment and highlighting its flaws.
- Wisdom: Despite their humor and satire, Twain’s quotes are often very wise. He had a deep understanding of human nature and his insights into life, love, and society are still relevant today.
- Clarity: Twain was a master of clear and concise writing. His quotes are often short and to the point, making them memorable and easy to remember.
Overall, Mark Twain’s quotes are a mixture of humor, irony, satire, wisdom, and clarity.
They are insightful and often reveal deep truths about human nature, while also making us laugh and think.
We have many to share in this article from an all-time great author and thinker.
Mark Twain Quotes
Here are various famous quotes by Mark Twain:
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
- “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
- “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
- “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
- “The more you explain it, the more I don’t understand it.”
- “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.”
- “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”
- “A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.”
- “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
- “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
- “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
- “The lack of money is the root of all evil.”
- “In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
- “A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.”
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
- “The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.”
- “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
- “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
- “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
- “I have a higher and grander standard of principle than George Washington. He could not lie; I can, but I won’t.”
- “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
- “It’s not what you don’t know that kills you, it’s what you know for sure that ain’t true.”
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
- “I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.”
- “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.”
- “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”
- “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
- “There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
- “It is better to be a young June-bug than an old June-beetle because the young bug is ignorant and doesn’t know it’s impossible.”
- “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.”
- “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.”
- “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”
- “The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.”
- “Age is an issue of mind; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
- “If you want to be happy, make someone else happy.”
- “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
- “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.”
- “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
- “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”
- “I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.”
- “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”
- “Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.”
- “The secret of life is to make your vocation your vacation.”
- “The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it’s that they know so many things that just aren’t so.”
- “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.”
- “I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”
- “It’s not the size of the vocabulary that matters, it’s the way you use it.”
- “The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.”
- “The only thing that’s worse than a man who doesn’t have the courage to take risks, is one who thinks he does.”
- “The holy passion of friendship is so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.”
- “Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.”
- “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “Golf is a good walk spoiled.”
- “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
- “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”
- “The secret to getting ahead is to simply get started.”
- “Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you’ll die of a misprint.”
- “All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.”
- “A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.”
- “I’ve never let schooling interfere with my education.”
- “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.”
- “It’s not what we don’t know that hurts us; it’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Mark Twain Quotes About Life
Mark Twain Quotes About Life:
- “In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
- “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
- “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
- “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Famous Mark Twain Quotes
Famous Mark Twain Quotes:
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
- “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
- “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
- “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.”
- “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
Best Mark Twain Quotes
Best Mark Twain Quotes:
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
- “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
- “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.”
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
- “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
Funny Mark Twain Quotes
Funny Mark Twain Quotes:
- “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
- “When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.”
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
- “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
- “A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.”
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
- “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.”
Inspirational Mark Twain Quotes
Inspirational Mark Twain Quotes:
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
- “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
- “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”
- “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
- “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
Mark Twain Quotes About Relationships (Love)
Mark Twain Quotes About Relationships (Love):
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
- “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
- “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”
- “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
- “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
- “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
Mark Twain Political Quotes
Mark Twain Political Quotes:
- “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”
- “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”
- “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.”
- “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”
- “In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
- “The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet.”
- “I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man’s reasoning powers are not above the monkey’s.”
- “The political and social morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet for a hungry world.”
- “We have the best government that money can buy.”
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Conclusion – Mark Twain Quotes
Mark Twain’s quotes are a reflection of his unique style and perspective. His sharp wit, clever wordplay, and insightful commentary on human nature have made his quotes memorable and enduring.
Twain’s ability to use humor, irony, and satire to critique society and its institutions has made his quotes relevant even today.
Whether it’s through his wisdom or his humor, Twain’s quotes continue to inspire and entertain us.
