Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer. Among his novels are The Adventures of Tom Sawyerand its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the latter often called "The Great American Novel"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth30 November 1835
CountryUnited States of America
character history impossible preventing repeating worthwhile
It is not worthwhile to try to keep history from repeating itself, for man's character will always make the preventing of the repetitions impossible
fact past restored solitary worth
I said there was but one solitary thing about the past worth remembering and that was the fact that it is past - and can't be restored
almost boarding defend fight heard house man salt war worthy
Almost any man worthy of his salt would fight to defend his home, but no one ever heard of a man going to war for his boarding house
life obscurity worth
Obscurity and competence: That is the life that is worth living.
best competence life living obscurity worth
Obscurity and competence - that is the life that is best worth living
belly books-and-reading bread full mind shall shelter starved teachings worth
When I am king, they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books, for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved
charged worth
He was a preacher, too... and never charged nothing for his preaching, and it was worth it, too.
work preaching worth-it
He charged nothing for his preaching and it was worth it too.
worthwhile-things accomplishment achievement
Great things can happen when you don't care who gets the credit.
inspirational glad worth-it
I'm glad I did it, partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to do it again.
boy building closed education farmer jail public river save schools spoke stopped time
When I was a boy on the Mississippi River there was a proposition in a township there to discontinue public schools because they were too expensive. An old farmer spoke up and said if they stopped building the schools they would not save anything, because every time a school was closed a jail had to be built.
astonished boy father hardly ignorant learned man seven stand
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.
age-and-aging bed begin brains business forty main permanent regular since until
We have no permanent brains until we are forty. Then they begin to harden, presently they petrify, then business begins. Since forty I have been regular about going to bed and getting up -- and that is one of the main things.
boys children half nine
We have nine children now half boys and half girls.