35 Famous Mark Twain Quotes to Inspire You

Mark Twain, also known by his full and proper name as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was an American author.

He lived from the years 1835 – 1910, living a long and rich life. There are so many quotes that remain from Mark Twain’s life, that really do make us think about the attitudes we have towards life.

We’ve put together this incredibly dense collection of famous Mark Twain quotes:

35 Famous Mark Twain Quotes

1. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain

2. “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” – Mark Twain

3. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

4. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

5. “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” – Mark Twain

6. “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain

7. “Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” – Mark Twain

8. “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain

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9. “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” – Mark Twain

10. “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

11. “When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.” – Mark Twain

12. “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

13. “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” – Mark Twain

14. “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

15. “A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.” – Mark Twain

16. “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” – Mark Twain

17. “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” – Mark Twain

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18. “The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.” – Mark Twain

19. “Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” – Mark Twain

20. “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” – Mark Twain

21. “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain

22. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain

23. “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain

24. “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” – Mark Twain

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25. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain

26. “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” – Mark Twain

27. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain

28. “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” – Mark Twain

29. “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” – Mark Twain

30. “Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.” – Mark Twain

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31. “The human race is a race of cowards; and I am not only marching in that procession but carrying a banner.” – Mark Twain

32. “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” – Mark Twain

33. “Never put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” – Mark Twain

34. “Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.” – Mark Twain

35. “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” – Mark Twain

Summary

Some of these Mark Twain quotes really make you think don’t they? If you have a favorite quote from the list, let us know in the comments below, and share it using the share buttons below.

Which are your favorite Mark Twain quotes? Leave a comment below.