Mark Twain

Pessimism is only the name that men of weak nerve give to wisdom.

Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man. The biography of the man himself cannot be written.

We Americans… bear the ark of liberties of the world.

The trouble with you Chicago people is that you think you are the best people down here, whereas you are merely the most numerous.

It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.

Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.

As a thinker and planner the ant is the equal of any savage race of men; as a self-educated specialist in several arts she is the superior of any savage race of men; and in one or two high mental qualities she is above the reach of any man, savage or civilized!

In all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates the most lasting bond.

See only that thou work and thou canst not escape the reward.

The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.

You don’t create things, you discover things.

Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.

I hate the giving of the hand unless the whole man accompanies it.

Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.

I have found it to be the most serious objection to coarse labors long continued, that they compelled me to eat and drink coarsely also.

Syllables govern the world.

Science does not know its debt to imagination.