Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), was an American author, humorist, and social commentator. Twain, known for his keen wit and satire, rose to prominence as one of America's most famous authors. His most known writings are "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Twain's writing offers keen insights into human character and society standards, making him a popular figure in American literature.
Few people have left as lasting an imprint on literature and profound thoughts as Mark Twain. Twain, a master of wit, intelligence, and insight, wrote lines that still resonate with people of all ages and walks of life. In the following lines, you will find a carefully picked collection of 100 Mark Twain quotations that cover the full range of human emotions, experiences, and views. Whether you're looking for motivation, humor, introspection, or a simple dose of truth, these morsels of knowledge will give you with a rich tapestry of ideas to contemplate on.
Top 100 Best Mark Twain Quotes & Life-Changing Lessons Of All Time
1. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
2. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain
3. “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” – Mark Twain
4. “Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe.” – Mark Twain
5. “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Mark Twain
6. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
7. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain
8. “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain
9. “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
10. “Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain
11. “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” – Mark Twain
12. “Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” – Mark Twain
13. “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
14. “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
15. “If you can make it through hard times with a sense of humor, you've mastered the art of living.” – Mark Twain
16. “There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.” – Mark Twain
17. “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” – Mark Twain
18. “A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.” – Mark Twain
19. “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain
20. “Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and reevaluation.” – Mark Twain
21. “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain
22. “Go to heaven for the climate and hell for the company.” – Mark Twain
23. “Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it.” – Mark Twain
24. “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain
25. “If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.” – Mark Twain
26. “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain
27. “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” – Mark Twain
28. “Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.” – Mark Twain
29. “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
30. “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain
31. “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” – Mark Twain
32. “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain
33. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain
34. “They did not know it was impossible so they did it.” – Mark Twain
35. “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain
36. “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain
37. “No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.” – Mark Twain
38. “The truth hurts, but silence kills.” – Mark Twain
39. “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain
40. “Don’t wait, the time is never just right.” – Mark Twain
41. “Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions.” – Mark Twain
42. “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.” – Mark Twain
43. “We regret the things we don’t do more than the things we do.” – Mark Twain
44. “A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time. ” – Mark Twain
45. “Whatever you say, say it with conviction. ” – Mark Twain
46. “If you want to change the future, you must change what you’re doing in the present.” – Mark Twain
47. “Do something everyday that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.” – Mark Twain
48. “If everyone was satisfied with himself, there would be no heroes.” – Mark Twain
49. “Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us there.” – Mark Twain
50. “Never be haughty to the humble, never be humble to the haughty.” – Mark Twain
51. “Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself.” – Mark Twain
52. “There is no security in life, only opportunity.” – Mark Twain
53. “Knowledge becomes wisdom only after it has been put to good use.” – Mark Twain
54. “Supposing is good, but finding out is better.” – Mark Twain
55. “Necessity is the mother of taking chances.” – Mark Twain
56. “Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets the credit.” – Mark Twain
57. “Don’t wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” – Mark Twain
58. “There is no such thing as a new idea. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.” – Mark Twain
59. “Some people give their problems swimming lessons instead of drowning them.” – Mark Twain
60. “There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to angelship.” – Mark Twain
61. “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” – Mark Twain
62. “When I want to read something nice, I sit down and write it myself.” – Mark Twain
63. “Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” – Mark Twain
64. “The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.” – Mark Twain
65. “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.” – Mark Twain
66. “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” – Mark Twain
67. “A few fly bites cannot stop a spirited horse.” – Mark Twain
68. “To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.” – Mark Twain
69. “To believe yourself brave is to be brave; it is the one only essential thing.” – Mark Twain
70. “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” – Mark Twain
71. “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain
72. “A half-truth is the most cowardly of lies.” – Mark Twain
73. “When in doubt tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your friends.” – Mark Twain
74. “Behind every successful man, there is a woman – and behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.” – Mark Twain
75. “Good exercise for the heart: reach out and help your neighbor.” – Mark Twain
76. “A friend is someone who stays in when the rest of the world has gone out.” – Mark Twain
77. “Honesty: The best of all the lost arts.” – Mark Twain
78. “I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” – Mark Twain
79. “Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile.” – Mark Twain
80. “Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
81. “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” – Mark Twain
82. “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” – Mark Twain
83. “Just because you’re taught that something’s right and everyone believes it’s right, it don’t make it right.” – Mark Twain
84. “A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn’t.” – Mark Twain
85. “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.” – Mark Twain
86. “Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” – Mark Twain
87. “The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little.” – Mark Twain
88. “There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.” – Mark Twain
89. “Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.” – Mark Twain
90. “When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.” – Mark Twain
91. “Education: the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.” – Mark Twain
92. “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” – Mark Twain
93. “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain
94. “The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.” – Mark Twain
95. “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” – Mark Twain
96. “Don’t dream your life, but live your dream.” – Mark Twain
97. “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.” – Mark Twain
98. “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.” – Mark Twain
99. “Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” – Mark Twain
100. “Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many.” – Mark Twain
One cannot help but get a great sense of enlightenment and connection after traveling over the huge terrain of Mark Twain's knowledge. Still unequaled is Twain's ability to capture the complexity of life, love, ambition, and the human spirit. May these words be a lighthouse directing you towards deeper insight, braver deeds, and an unrelenting zest for life as you reenter the bustle of daily living. Recall, as brilliant Mark Twain himself said, "Explore. Dream. Discover."
