Inspirational Quotes Mark Twain

Mark Twain
1835 - 1910
American Author

About Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty.

Twain enjoyed immense public popularity, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. American author William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."



An inspirational collection of quotes and sayings by the famous author, Mark Twain. You will find quotes and sayings to make you smile, you will find quotes to inspire you, and quotes for you to reflect upon.

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
~Mark Twain

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
~Mark Twain

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

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it.
~Mark Twain

It is not best that we should all think alike; it is a difference of opinion that makes horse races.
~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

A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.
~Mark Twain

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.
~Mark Twain

To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.
~Mark Twain

Drag your thoughts away from your troubles - by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.
~Mark Twain

It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.
~Mark Twain

Synergy - the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously.
~Mark Twain

The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.
~Mark Twain

A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.
~Mark Twain

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.
~Mark Twain

I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know.
~Mark Twain

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.
~Mark Twain

A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.
~Mark Twain

The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.
~Mark Twain

Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.
~Mark Twain

Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
~Mark Twain

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.
~Mark Twain

Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul.
~Mark Twain

Words are only painted fire; a book is the fire itself.
~Mark Twain

I can live for two months on a good compliment.
~Mark Twain

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
~Mark Twain

Necessity is the mother of taking chances.
~Mark Twain

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
~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

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
~Mark Twain

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
~Mark Twain

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
~Mark Twain

Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
~Mark Twain

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
~Mark Twain

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
~Mark Twain

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
~Mark Twain

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.
~Mark Twain

You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
~Mark Twain

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.
~Mark Twain

The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
~Mark Twain

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.
~Mark Twain