Mark Twain Pen To Paper
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was borne November 30, 1835 and died April 21, 1910. He was an author and humorist, more humorist he would tell you. When he was twenty one he took a steamboat down the Mississippi River to New Orleans that would change his life forever. The captain encourages Samuel Clemens to pursue a career as a steamboat captain, a profession that paid $240.00 per month or the equivalent of a $155,000.00 a year job today!
Samuel learned why the pay was so good, when his brother Henry, whom Samuel had convinced to join him, was killed when The Pennsylvania blew up. Samuel had a detailed dream of his brother’s death a month before it occurred. Samuel Langhorne Clemens would be tormented by guilt for the rest of his life. The dream and Henry’s death lead him to investigate parapsychology. He became an early member in the Society for Psychical Research.
Samuel Clemens took something other than guilt with him from the tragedy on the Mississippi River, a new name. The term “mark twain”, was a measure of water depth in fathoms, or the length of outstretched arms. A fathom is standardized at six feet. Mark refers to fathoms and Twain refers to two. So Samuel Clemen’s name became, Mark twain, meaning “two fathoms”, or perhaps the depth required to bury two brothers?
Upon hearing of Twain’s death, President William Howard Taft said, “His humor was American, but he was nearly as much appreciated by Englishmen and people of other countries as by his own countrymen. He has made an enduring part of American Literature.”
William Faulkner referred to Mark Twain as ,”the father of American Literature”.
Below are quotations from Mark Twain.
Self Preservation:
“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”
Fashion:
“Clothes make the man. Naked people make little or no influence on society.”
Civility:
“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.”
Character:
“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.”
Honesty:
“Honesty is the best policy-when there is money in it.”
Fitness:
“I have never taking any exercise except sleeping and resting.”
Terminological Inexactitude:
“I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to the facts.”
Procrastination:
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”
Free Will:
“I have a higher and grander standard of principle than George Washington. He could not lie. I can. But I don’t.”
Diet:
“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”
Verbalization:
“Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”
Alignment:
“Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”
Attributes:
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, then success is sure.”
Options:
“Go to Heaven for the climate. Hell for the company.”
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Tags: hurmorist, Mark Twain, Quotations, tom sawyer
