This post presents a collection of the best Mark Twain Quotes so that you can reflect on his profound wisdom and and laugh at his clever philosophical quotes.
Mark Twain Short Biography
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, best known as Mark Twain in Literature, was a famous American author who wrote one of the greatest American novels: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) which was the sequel of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He was also considered to be The Father of American Literature.
Mark Twain gained this title not because he was a brilliant writer and novelist, but because of his intellect and humour. He lived a life of adventure and literature from 1835-1910.
Mark Twain’s works continue to resonate with people even up to our present time (more than 100 years after his death). This what makes him one of the greatest public figures through the history.
The following collection of Mark Twain Quotes remind us of his most memorable words, providing us with aspects of his keen intellect, humourist spirit and deep thinking on life, humanity, and love.
26 Best Mark Twain Quotes
First Part
“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
Let us endeavour so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.
Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
A half-truth is the most cowardly of lies.
Second Part
“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
You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
Always obey your parents when they are present.
The lack of money is the root of all evil.
Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.
A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.
A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.
The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.
22 Inspirational Mark Twain Quotes on Life & Success
First Part
“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
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.
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.
It is wiser to find out than suppose.
The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of your life.
Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.
Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.
Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.
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.
Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Second Part
“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
The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would rather have talked.
It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.
A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.
Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.
To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
32 Thought-provoking Mark Twain Quotes
First Part
“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
I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell – you see, I have friends in both places.
When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.
The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.
Honesty: The best of all the lost arts.
If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.
Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.
There’s one way to find out if a man is honest – ask him; if he says yes, you know he’s crooked.
The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.
The source of all humor is not laughter, but sorrow.
Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.
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.
Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.
Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it.
Second Part
“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
Conservatism is the blind and fear-filled worship of dead radicals.
Let us endeavor so to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.
Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.
Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.
Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.
Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.
Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.
Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.
Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.
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.
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.
The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Out of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.
Latest Thoughts About Mark Twain Quotes
We really hope that these Mark Twain quotes have inspired you.
These Mark Twain quotes reveal his wit and wisdom and continue to offer inspiration for people from generation to another.
Whether he was opening our minds about politics and society, or offering us entertainemnt by his funny anecdots, Mark Twain words are a powerful reminder that language can have a power to shift our lives in a more positive ways.
Here are 5 life lessons from reading Mark Twain quotes:
Focus on the positive side of life
Embrace ourselves
Be open-minded and eager to learn
Have courage and never give up
Be kind and show empathy
By applying these lessons from Mark Twain quotes, we can enjoy a life of humour, compassion, resilience and authencity, taking part in a more fulfilling and supporting environment for ourselves and people around us.
We hope that you will use this collection of Mark Twain quotes as a guidance in your journey of life, and we also hope that these quotes will inspire you and make you have a humourist spirit.
