Mark Twain
- 1. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1880s)
- 2. “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894)
- 3. “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” — Attributed in The American Claimant (1892)
- 4. “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1890s)
- 5. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” — Notebook, 1904 (published 1935)
- 6. “The lack of money is the root of all evil.”
- — More Maxims of Mark (1927)
- 7. “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” — Following the Equator (1897)
- 8. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” — Notebook, 1894
- 9. “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” — Notebook, 1898
- 10. “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.” — Notebook, 1870s
- 11. “Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.” — The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894)
- 12. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” — Attributed in Notebook (1880s)
- 13. “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1898)
- 14. “Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.” — Following the Equator (1897)
- 15. “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” — Speech on Humor, 1901
- 16. “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” — Quoted in The Californian, 1866
- 17. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” — Speech in New York, 1904
- 18. “A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.” — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894)
- 19. “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” — Notebook, 1898
- 20. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” — Attributed, early notebooks
- 21. “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1890s)
- 22. “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1880s)
- 23. “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” — Notebook, 1898
- 24. “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.” — Notebook, 1898
- 25. “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1880s)
- 26. “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Notebook, 1901
- 27. “Education: that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the foolish, their lack of understanding.” — Mark Twain’s Notebook (1898)
- 28. “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.” — Following the Equator (1897)
- 29. “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” — Notebook, 1895
- 30. “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” — Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894)
- 31. “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” — Letter to Mrs. Foote, 1887
- 32. “There is nothing so annoying as to have two people talking when you’re busy interrupting.” — Notebook, 1898
- 33. “Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid.” — Following the Equator (1897)
- 34. “The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.” — Notebook, 1898
- 35. “Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.” — Following the Equator (1897)
- 36. “A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.” — Notebook, 1898
- 37. “Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.” — The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
- 38. “Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.” — Notebook, 1898
- 39. “Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894)
- 40. “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” — Notebook, 1880s
Who was Mark Twain?
Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), a celebrated American writer and humorist known for classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Are Mark Twain’s quotes in the public domain?
Yes. Works by Mark Twain published before 1923 are in the public domain, meaning his authentic quotes can be used freely for blogs, images, and creative works.
What are Mark Twain’s most famous quotes?
Some of his best-known lines include: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started,” and “Courage is resistance to fear, not absence of fear.”
Why are Mark Twain’s quotes still popular today?
Twain’s quotes reflect timeless truths about human nature, humor, wisdom, and honesty, making them relevant across generations.
Can I use Mark Twain quotes for my website or social media?
Yes. Since they are in the public domain, you can freely use Mark Twain quotes in posts, images, or educational material without copyright concerns.