I want to start off this post by saying that I think I want to look like Mark Twain when I get older. The mustache thing he has going on is great.
That being said, picking a favorite quote from Mr. Clemens is difficult at best. At worst... well, we will just leave you to fill in the rest there. One that really struck with me was one about lightning (on page 140 in my book). It goes something like this:
"The trouble isn't that there are too many fools, but that the lightning isn't distributed right."
This quote strikes me as a funny and slightly sardonic phrase that I think is true. Let's face it, we all have that person (truthfully more like persons) that at times have that we wish could get a nice little shock from the heavens, if only for an instant. Clemens, being a humorist, catches on to the frustration that humans have with each other and creates a nice little quote that catches everyone slightly off guard. Is it nice to say? Not really. Is it politically correct? Probably not. But Clemens rarely seems to care if others take offense to his sayings, something that we might all be able to take a brief lesson on (I say brief because were we all to speak so candidly without any filter, conflicts would be a commonality between mankind as much as breathing is, something we probably don't need).
Twain's quotes are memorable and pleasing for the most part and humorous to the last. This book was an excellent choice for any class on humor, and I intend to reread it later to pick up some of the golden bits I surely left behind on my first pass through.
Hey Austin,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. This was one of my favorite quotes from the book as well. Many of the quotes do have a darker yet amusing side to them. Twain seems to be good at saying what we're often thinking in the back of our mind but our better judgement tells us not to say. He usually words them in a clever way though so they will make you laugh before they would offend anyone.
Austin - I hadn't read this quote before (I have the tiny, pathetic version of the book), but I really like it! It's a great example of Twain's humor. He produces a cognitive shift in a creative way, though the end result consists of slightly dark humor. Twain seems to be a little pessimistic at times, but that is probably due to the keen insight on human nature that he seems to possess. Oh and I really like his mustache, too. It is quite impressive. Thanks for posting!
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