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Mark Twain Quotes - Page 40

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We have to keep our God placated with prayer, and even then we are never sure of him-how much higher and finer is the Indian's God...Our illogical God is all-powerful in name, but impotent in fact; the Great Spirit is

We have to keep our God placated with prayer, and even then we are never sure of him-how much higher and finer is the Indian's God...Our illogical God is all-powerful in name, but impotent in fact; the Great Spirit is not all-powerful, but does the very best he can for his injun and does it free of charge

Mark Twain
Religious, Prayer, Powerful

Hardly a man in the world has an opinion upon morals, politics or religion which he got otherwise than through his associations and sympathies. Broadly speaking, there are none but corn-pone opinions. And broadly speaking, Corn-Pone stands for Self-Approval. Self-approval is acquired mainly from the approval of other people. The result is Conformity.

Mark Twain
Men, Self, Approval Of Others
Mark Twain (2004). “The Portable Mark Twain”, p.514, Penguin

It is human life. We are blown upon the world; we float buoyantly upon the summer air a little while, complacently showing off our grace of form and our dainty iridescent colors; then we vanish with a little puff, leaving nothing behind but a memory - and sometimes not even that. I suppose that at those solemn times when we wake in the deeps of the night and reflect, there is not one of us who is not willing to confess that he is really only a soap-bubble, and as little worth the making.

Mark Twain
Summer, Time, Memories
Mark Twain (2010). “Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review”, p.152, Univ of Wisconsin Press

Troubles are only mental; it is the mind that manufactures them, and the mind can gorge them, banish them, abolish them.

Mark Twain
Mind, Gorges, Trouble
Mark Twain (2014). “Mark Twain on Common Sense: Timeless Advice and Words of Wisdom from America's Most-Revered Humorist”, p.11, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.

Mark Twain
Kindness, Bird, Parrots
Mark Twain, Caroline Thomas Harnsberger (2009). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.398, Courier Corporation

As soon as a man recognizes that he has drifted into age, he gets reminiscent. He wants to talk and talk; and not about the present or the future, but about his old times. For there is where the pathos of his life lies - and the charm of it. The pathos of it is there because it was opulent with treasures that are gone, and the charm of it is in casting them up from the musty ledgers and remembering how rich and gracious they were.

Mark Twain
Lying, Men, Age
Mark Twain (2010). “Who Is Mark Twain?”, p.7, Harper Collins

If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat.

Mark Twain
Inspiration, Cat, Men
Mark Twain (2012). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.39, Courier Corporation

Inherently, each one of us has the substance within to achieve whatever our goals and dreams define. What is different for each of us is the training, education, knowledge and insight to utilize what we already have.

Mark Twain
Dream, Goal, Training

All war must be just the killing of strangers against whom you feel no personal animosity; strangers whom, in other circumstances, you would help if you found them in trouble, and who would help you if you needed it.

Mark Twain
War, Politics, Helping
Mark Twain (2004). “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg”, p.424, 1st World Publishing

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
Sad, Death, Past
Mark Twain, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Mark Twain: All 13 Novels, Short Stories, Poetry and Essays”, p.1257, GENERAL PRESS

Such is professional jealousy; a scientist will never show any kindness for a theory which he did not start himself. There is no feeling of brotherhood among these people. Indeed, they always resent it when I call them brother. To show how far their ungenerosity can carry them, I will state that I offered to let Prof. H--y publish my great theory as his own discovery; I even begged him to do it; I even proposed to print it myself as his theory. Instead of thanking me, he said that if I tried to fasten that theory on him he would sue me for slander.

Mark Twain
Brother, Kindness, Discovery

Laws are sand, customs are rock. Laws can be evaded and punishment escaped, but an openly transgressed custom brings sure punishment.

Mark Twain
Rocks, Law, Punishment
"The Gorky Incident" (1906)

The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad. I speak now, of course, in the supposition that the gentle reader has not been abroad, and therefore is not already a consummate ass. If the case be otherwise, I beg his pardon and extend to him the cordial hand of fellowship and call him brother.

Mark Twain
Travel, Brother, Hands
Mark Twain (2008). “The Innocents Abroad”, p.233, Velvet Element Books

Man has been here 32,000 years. That it took a hundred million years to prepare the world for him is proof that that is what it was done for. I suppose it is, I dunno. If The Eiffel Tower were now to represent the world's age, the skin of paint on the pinnacle knob at its summit would represent man's share of that age; and anybody would perceive that the skin was what the tower was built for. I reckon they would, I dunno.

Mark Twain
Science, Men, Years
Mark Twain (2009). “Mark Twain’s Book of Animals”, p.165, Univ of California Press

If you are with the quality, or at a funeral, or trying to go to sleep when you ain't sleepy - if you are anywheres where it won't do for you to scratch, why you will itch all over in upwards of a thousand places.

Mark Twain
Sleep, Funeral, Trying
Mark Twain (2013). “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, p.9, Atlântico Press

I know all those people. I have friendly, social, and criminal relations with the whole lot of them.

Mark Twain
People, Friendly, Criminals
Taxes and Morals, delivered 22 January 1906, New York

I don't want my girl to be so skinny she can knife me with her knee.

Mark Twain
Girl, Knives, Want

We can secure other people's approval, if we do right and try hard; but our own is worth a hundred of it, and no way has been found out of securing that.

Mark Twain
Carpe Diem, Self, People
Following the Equator ch. 14, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" (1897)

Whenever we come upon one of those intensely right words in a book or a newspaper the resulting effect is physical as well as spiritual, and electrically prompt.

Mark Twain
Spiritual, Wall, Book

When even the brightest mind in our world has been trained up from childhood in a superstition of any kind, it will never be possible for that mind, in its maturity, to examine sincerely, dispassionately, and conscientiously any evidence or any circumstance which shall seem to cast a doubt upon the validity of that superstition. I doubt if I could do it myself.

Mark Twain
Science, Maturity, Our World
Mark Twain (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Mark Twain (Illustrated)”, p.4096, Delphi Classics

To succeed in the other trades, capacity must be shown; in the law, concealment of it will do.

Mark Twain
Funny, Humorous, Law
Following the Equator ch. 37, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" (1897)

We find not much in ourselves to admire, we are always privately wanting to be like somebody else. If everybody was satisfied with himself, there would be no heroes

Mark Twain
Hero, Would Be, Admire
Mark Twain (2012). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.254, Courier Corporation

Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether. A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer. All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.

Mark Twain
Ignorance, Clean Desk, Needs

Diligence is a good thing, but taking things easy is much more restful.

Mark Twain
Humor, Easy, Diligence
Mark Twain, Bob Blaisdell (2013). “Great Speeches”, p.80, Courier Corporation

But death was sweet, death was gentle, death was kind; death healed the bruised spirit and the broken heart, and gave them rest and forgetfulness; death was man’s best friend; when man could endure life no longer, death came and set him free.

Mark Twain
Sweet, Heart, Men
Mark Twain (1973). “What Is Man? and Other Philosophical Writings”, p.443, Univ of California Press

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