Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Mark Twain

Quote by Mark Twain

“The humorous writer professes to awaken and direct your love, your pity, your kindness--your scorn for untruth, pretension, imposture....He takes upon himself to be the week-day preacher.”

Quote by Mark Twain

Create image

Author

Mark Twain
Mark Twain

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

You May Also Like

“So you see, the quality of humor is not a personal or a national monopoly. It's as free as salvation, and, I am afraid, far more widely distributed. But it has its value, I think. The hard and sordid things of life are too hard and too sordid and too cruel for us to know and touch them year after year without some mitigating influence, some kindly veil to draw over them, from time to time, to blur the craggy outlines, and make the thorns less sharp and the cruelties less malignant.”

ThinkingKnowsYearsHardHumorValuesQualityInfluenceDrawsSalvationCrueltyVeilsMonopolyThornsOutlinesBlur
Book:Mainly the truth: interviews with Mark Twain
Create image

“Probably there is an imperceptible touch of something permanent that one feels instinctively to adhere to true humour, whereas wit may be the mere conversational shooting up of "smartness"--a bright feather, to be blown into space the second after it is launched...Wit seems to be counted a very poor relation to Humour....Humour is never artificial.”

FeelsMayHumorSeemsSpacePoorHumourRelationMereWitShootingPermanentArtificialFeathersSmartnessShooting Up
Author:Mark Twain
Create image

“The true and lasting genius of humour does not drag you thus to boxes labelled 'pathos,' 'humour,' and show you all the mechanism of the inimitable puppets that are going to perform. How I used to laugh at Simon Tapperwit, and the Wellers, and a host more! But I can't do it now somehow; and time, it seems to me, is the true test of humour. It must be antiseptic.”

DoeI CanShowsHumorSeemsUsedLaughingHumourGeniusTestsBoxesLastingHostMechanismDragPuppetsPathos
Author:Mark Twain
Create image

“What is it that strikes a spark of humor from a man? It is the effort to throw off, to fight back the burden of grief that is laid on each one of us. In youth we don't feel it, but as we grow to manhood we find the burden on our shoulders. Humor? It is nature's effort to harmonize conditions. The further the pendulum swings out over woe the further it is bound to swing back over mirth.”

MenFeelsHumorFightingGrowsEffortGriefConditionsYouthBoundsBurdenStrikesShouldersSparksSwingsManhoodWoeMirthPendulums
Book:Mainly the truth: interviews with Mark Twain
Create image