A Sampling of Mark Twain
Mark Twain, one of the great humorists in our nation, had lots to say about reading, learning, and just about any aspect of life you can think of. Here is a sampling:
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
Heroine: Girl in a book who is saved from drowning by a hero and marries him next week, but if it was to be over again ten years later it is likely she would rather have a life-belt and he would rather have her have it.
Hero: Person in a book who does things which he can't and girl marries him for it.
It takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.
It is wiser to find out than to suppose.
Between believing a thing and thinking you know is only a small step and quickly taken.
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
What would men be without woman? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce.
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.
Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to.
Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
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 at how much he had learned in seven years.
Let us endeavor to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
The heart is the real Fountain of Youth.
God puts something good and lovable in every man His hands create.
One of the striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.
