One of the greatest writers and speakers of all time was Mark Twain. Below are a few quotes taken from letters, stories, speeches and conversations dealing with subjects we see as still important and relevant today.

“You can’t reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and it thumps about things which the intellect scorns.” 1889

“One’s admiration of a perfect thing always grows, never declines; and thus us the surest evidence to him that it is perfect.” 1880

“The man who is a pessimist before 48, knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.” c.1902

“Spending one’s capital is feeding a dog on his own tail.” 1889

“One of the most admirable things about history is, that almost as a rule we get as much information out of what it does not say as we get out of what it does say.” 1901-02

“Mosques are plenty, churches are plenty, graveyards are plenty, but morals and whiskey are scarce. The Koran does not permit Mohammedans to drink. Their natural instinct does not permit them to be moral.” 1869

“Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other people’s countries.” 1909

“For twenty-five years I have been a woman’s rights man… I should like to see the time come when women should help to make the laws.” 1901

“It isn’t what a man has that constitutes wealth. No-it is to be satisfied with what one has; that is wealth.” 1869

“[The conscience:] Man’s moral medicine chest.” 1906