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Quote by Mark Twain

“Guides cannot master the subtleties of the American joke.”

Quote by Mark Twain

Author

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was a renowned American author and humorist in the 19th century. His works are characterized by humor, satire, and profound social insight, with notable novels such as 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'. more

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“Not a single right is indestructible: a new might can at any time abolish it, hence, man possesses not a single permanent right. God is Might (and He is shifty, malicious, and uncertain).”

Men Might Permanent Uncertain Abolish Malicious Indestructible

Book:Mark Twain's notebook

Source: Mark Twain's notebook

“Persons who think there is no such thing as luck good or bad are entitled to their opinion, although I think they ought to be shot for it.”

Thinking Persons Opinion Ought Shots Luck Entitled No Such Thing As Luck

Book:Autobiography of Mark Twain: Reader's Edition

Source: Autobiography of Mark Twain: Reader's Edition

“Brooklyn praise is half slander.”

Half Praise Brooklyn Slander

Book:Autobiography of Mark Twain

Source: Autobiography of Mark Twain

“I wish Europe would let Russia annihilate Turkey a little--not much, but enough to make it difficult to find the place again without a divining-rod or a diving-bell.”

Littles Enough Wish Difficult Europe Russia Bells Turkeys Diving

Book:The Innocents Abroad: or, The New Pilgrims' Progress

Source: The Innocents Abroad: or, The New Pilgrims' Progress

“Pilgrim's Progress , about a man that left his family, it didn't say why. I read considerable in it now and then. The statements was interesting, but tough.”

Men Left Interesting Progress Tough Statements Now And Then Pilgrim

Author:Mark Twain

“Surely the test of a novel's characters is that you feel a strong interest in them and their affairs the good to be successful, the bad to suffer failure. Well, in John Ward, you feel no divided interest, no discriminating interest you want them all to land in hell together, and right away.”

Want Feels Wells Character Together Suffering Strong Interest Novel Hell Successful Land Tests Affair Being Successful Divided

Book:The Complete Works of Mark Twain (Illustrated Edition): Novels, Short Stories, Memoir, Travel Books, Letters, Biography, Articles & Speeches: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, Yankee in King Arthur's Court…

Source: The Complete Works of Mark Twain (Illustrated Edition): Novels, Short Stories, Memoir, Travel Books, Letters, Biography, Articles & Speeches: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, Yankee in King Arthur's Court…

“when you recollect something which belonged in an earlier chapter, do not go back, but jam it in where you are . Discursiveness does not hurt an autobiography in the least.”

Doe Hurt Where You Are Chapters Autobiography Jam

Book:Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

Source: Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

“an Autobiography is the truest of all books; for while it inevitably consists mainly of extinctions of the truth, shirkings of the truth, partial revealments of the truth, with hardly an instance of plain straight truth, the remorseless truth is there, between the lines, where the author-cat is raking dust upon it which hides from the disinterested spectator neither it nor its smell... the result being that the reader knows the author in spite of his wily diligences.”

Knows Book Lines Results Reader Truth Is Cat Smell Instance Dust Spite Autobiography Extinction Spectators Diligence Truest Disinterested Between The Lines Remorseless

Book:The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

Source: The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

“When grown-up persons indulge in practical jokes, the fact gauges them. They have lived narrow, obscure, and ignorant lives, and at full manhood they still retain and cherish a job lot of left-over standards and ideals that would have been discarded with their boyhood if they had then moved out into the world and a broader life.”

Source: Autobiography of Mark Twain

“from the beginning of my sojourn in this world there was a persistent vacancy in me where the industry ought to be. (Ought to was is better, perhaps, though the most of the authorities differ as to this.”

World This World Industry Ought Authority Persistent Vacancy

Book:Autobiography of Mark Twain

Source: Autobiography of Mark Twain