Looking for classic quotes by famous writer Mark Twain? We have rounded up the best collection of Mark Twain quotes, sayings, speeches, and thoughts (with images and pictures) about life, love, death, courage and freedom that will motivate you.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer.
Twain is remembered as a great chronicler of American life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
He was praised as the “greatest humorist the United States has produced”, and William Faulkner called him “the father of American literature”
He is most famous as the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain is widely considered one of the greatest American writers of all time
Mark Twain shows that society does not serve as a good example of how a person should be. The strength and deep insights that he provides in his writings should always be held in high regard.
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These profound Mark Twain quotes and sayings will give you deep insight into the different perspectives of life.
Top 10 Mark Twain Quotes
- “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” – Mark Twain
- “A half-truth is the most cowardly of lies.” – Mark Twain
- “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” – Mark Twain
- “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
famous quotes by mark twain
- “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain quotes
- “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain
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- “Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” – Mark Twain
best mark twain quotes
- “Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain
- “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” – Mark Twain
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- “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” – Mark Twain
top Mark Twain quotes
- “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.” – Mark Twain
Most Famous Mark Twain Quotes
Mark Twain was a talented writer, speaker and humorist whose own thoughts and personality shined through his work and speech. These wise words by Mark Twain are witty, deep, and profound that that are full of so many valuable lessons to live by.
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- “When in doubt tell the truth.” – Mark Twain
mark twain life quotes
- “Honesty: The best of all the lost arts.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain quotes images
- “Always obey your parents when they are present.” – Mark Twain
- “The source of all humor is not laughter, but sorrow.” – Mark Twain
- “When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.” – Mark Twain
- “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain quotes funny
- “When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.” – Mark Twain
- “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain
- “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain
- “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain
famous mark twain quotes
- “It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” – Mark Twain
- “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
- “Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions.” – Mark Twain
- “I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell – you see, I have friends in both places.” – Mark Twain
- “A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.” – Mark Twain
- “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” – Mark Twain
- “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.” – Mark Twain
- “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.” – Mark Twain
- “India is the cradle of Human Race, the birthplace of Human Speech, the mother of History, the grandmother of Legend, and the great-grandmother of Tradition.” – Mark Twain
Best Quotes By Mark Twain To Live By
- “Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.” – Mark Twain
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- “A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.” – Mark Twain
- “Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” – Mark Twain
- “Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it.” – Mark Twain
- “Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.” – Mark Twain
- “Out of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.” – Mark Twain
- “Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.” – Mark Twain
- “Conservatism is the blind and fear-filled worship of dead radicals.” – Mark Twain
- “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” – Mark Twain
- “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” – Mark Twain
- “Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.” – Mark Twain
- “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.” – Mark Twain
- “His head was an hour-glass; it could stow an idea, but it had to do it a grain at a time, not the whole idea at once.” – Mark Twain
- “Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.” – Mark Twain
- “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain Quotes On Life And Death
- “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain sayings
- “Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain quotes on courage
- “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” – Mark Twain
- “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain
- “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of your life.” – Mark Twain
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain
- “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” – Mark Twain
- “The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.” – Mark Twain
- “Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” – Mark Twain
- “Let us endeavour so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” – Mark Twain
- “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would rather have talked.” – Mark Twain
- “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” – Mark Twain
- “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
- “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare.” – Mark Twain
- “Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.” – Mark Twain
- “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain
- “The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.” – Mark Twain
- “Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.” – Mark Twain
- “Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts or happenings. It consist mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one’s head.” – Mark Twain
- “It is a time when one’s spirit is subdued and sad, one knows not why; when the past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a vanity and a burden, and the future but a way to death.” – Mark Twain
Inspirational Mark Twain Quotes On Success
- “It is easier to stay out than get out.” – Mark Twain
- “It is wiser to find out than suppose.” – Mark Twain
- “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Mark Twain
Mark Twain quote
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
Inspirational Mark Twain quotes
- “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain
- “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” – Mark Twain
- “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” – Mark Twain
- “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain
- “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Mark Twain
- “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.” – Mark Twain
- “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
- “It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.” – Mark Twain
- “Do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.” – Mark Twain
- “With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.” – Mark Twain
- “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
10 Funny Mark Twain Quotes
Mark Twain was known for his sarcastic and funny words. These greatest Mark Twain quotes are full of wit, humor, and sarcasm about the realities of life.
- “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.” – Mark Twain
- “Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.” – Mark Twain
- “Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.” – Mark Twain
- “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” – Mark Twain
- “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.” – Mark Twain
- “There’s one way to find out if a man is honest – ask him; if he says yes, you know he’s crooked.” – Mark Twain
- “The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.” – Mark Twain
- “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” – Mark Twain
- “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.” – Mark Twain
- “A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” – Mark Twain
Why is Mark Twain Still so Important today?
Mark Twain is commonly described as a moralist and idealist.
Twain’s written works challenged the fundamental issues that faced the America of his time; racism, evolving landscapes, class barriers, access to education, and more.
Twain wrote more than a dozen novels and several short stories as well as essays. Other than writing, Twain loved his cats, was innovative and delved into many hobbies and interests.
He was a riverboat pilot, an entrepreneur, an inventor, and more. Since Mark Twain got very little formal education, he took up self-educating. He spent his free time at the public library burrowing through books.
Twain was critical of the education system in the United State during his time. He believed learning and education were two different things.
Don’t forget to check out these insightful thought provoking quotes and meaningful quotes that are life-changing.
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