Mark Twain Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Mark Twain quotes, Mark Twain sayings, and Mark Twain proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist. What is its seat? The inborn requirement of self-approval. Mark Twain
Life ain't about how fast you run or how high you climb, It's all about how good you bounce. A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. Mark Twain
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
I wonder how much it would take to buy a soap bubble, if there were only one in the world. Mark Twain
History doesn't repeat itself; it rhymes. Mark Twain
Familiarity breeds contempt. How accurate that is. The reason we hold truth in such respect is because we have so little opportunity to get familiar with it. Mark Twain
The cigar-box which the European calls a 'lift' needs but to be compared with our elevators to be appreciated. The lift stops to reflect between floors. That is alright in a hearse, but not in elevators. The American elevator acts like a man's patent purge—it works. Mark Twain
When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet in his private heart no man much respects himself. Mark Twain
There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages. Mark Twain
A wise man does not waste so good a commodity as lying for naught. Mark Twain
If you take epitaphs seriously, we ought to bury the living and resurrect the dead. Mark Twain
When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky, because everything there happens 20 years after it happens anywhere else. Mark Twain
Everything has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold. Mark Twain
Heroine: girl who is perfectly charming to live with, in a book. Mark Twain
Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. Mark Twain
Prohibition only drives drunkenness behind doors and into dark places, and does not cure it or even diminish it. Mark Twain
A man never reaches that dizzy height of wisdom when he can no longer be led by the nose. Mark Twain
An honest man in politics shines more there than he would elsewhere. Mark Twain
The cayote is a living, breathing allegory of Want. He is always hungry. He is always poor, out of luck and friendless. The meanest creatures despise him, and even the fleas would desert him for a velocipede. Mark Twain
Always do right, This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest. Mark Twain
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Mark Twain
The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession--what there is of it. Mark Twain
The aim of democracy is harmony, its goal is Brotherhood. Mark Twain
Peace..happiness..brotherhood.. that is what we want in this world. Mark Twain
As long as you are in your right mind, don't you ever pray for twins. Twins amount to a permanent riot. And there ain't any real difference between triplets and an insurrection. Mark Twain
Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option. Mark Twain
Everything has its limit – iron ore cannot be educated into gold Mark Twain
When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain. Mark Twain
When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet in his private heart no man much respects himself. Mark Twain
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Mark Twain