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The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain [Paperback]

Alex Ayres (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 24, 2005

Arranged alphabetically by topic, from Adam to Youth, and culled from his novels, speeches, letters, and conversations, this anthology of quotes is timeless and represents the very essence of Mark Twain -- hilarious, cranky, and insightful.


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The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain + The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: A Book of Quotations (Dover Thrift Editions) + Oscar Wilde's Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations (Dover Thrift Editions)
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alex Ayres has been a Senior Editor on Running Times. In addition to this book, he has edited The Wit and Wisdom of Will Rogers, The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, The Wit and Wisdom of Martin Luther King, The Wit and Wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as The Wit and Wisdom of John F. Kennedy and The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 24, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060751045
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060751043
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American humorist, satirist, social critic, lecturer and novelist. He is mostly remembered for his classic novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

 

Customer Reviews

30 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of clever quotes about all aspects of life., January 22, 2005
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, the author of such books as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" among others, was a highly intelligent and incredibly witty man. His keen observations of the world, and the often satirical commentary he made on it, are a delight to read, and this book pulls together some real gems from many of his books, speeches, and personal notebooks. There are some 358 quotations included, divided into categories as follows: (1) on men, women, children, and human nature, (2) on love, marriage, and romance, (3) on virtue, vice, and conduct, (4) on politics and history, (5) on religion, (6) on youth and aging, (7) on truth, honesty, lies, and illusion, (8) on reading, writing, and education, (9) on health and exercise, (10) on money and business, (11) on travel, and (12) on various other subjects. Each quote is attributed to its source for easy reference. This is a very slim and very affordable little volume, only fifty-five pages in length, and in fact my only criticism is that it doesn't include more material. But it is still well worth getting, and at this price it won't break any pocketbooks.

Here is a small selection of what you can expect:

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society" (pg. 3).

"Familiarity breeds contempt -- and children" (pg. 7).

"It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them" (pg. 15).

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself" (pg. 23).

"Heaven for climate, Hell for company" (pg. 28).

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years" (pg. 28).
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A good little quote book, December 28, 2005
By 
Mathew A. Shember (Cupertino, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
I have always been a fan of Mark Twain since I first read Huck Finn.

This is a great little book his quotations from his writings and speeches.

It's a nice little stocking stuffer as the book is small.

Some of my favorites:

"Classic." A book which people praise and don't read.

Honesty is the best policy--when there is money in it.

Some people like when they tell the truth. I tell the truth lying.

In God We Trust. I don't belive it would sound any better if it were true.

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.

Martyrdom covers a multitude of sins.

When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries of life disappear and life stands explained.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Cheer Up with Biting Humor of Mark Twain, November 5, 2004
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Enjoy few quotes from this humorous book, then go and buy a copy:

ADVERTISING

During his days as a journalist, the young Mark Twain once edited a small newspaper in Missouri. A subscriber wrote in, saying that he had found a spider in his paper and asked whether this was a sign of good or bad uck. Twain answered:

"Dear Subscriber: Finding a spider in your paper was neither good luck nor bad luck for you. The spider was merely looking over our paper to see which merchant is not advertising so that he can go to that store, spin his web across the door and lead a life of undisturbed peace ever afterward."

ADVICE

It is beter to give than receive - especially advice. Mark Twain was always willing to donate free advice to the needy and the unsuspecting. "It's notble to be good", he said, "and it's nobler to teach others to be good, and less trouble."

Whenever you find that you are on the side of majority, it is time to reform (- or pause and reflect).

BELIEFS

If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him.

SURGERY

Mark Twain offered this advice on the proper state of mind for undergoing surgery: "Console yourself with the reflection that you are giving the doctor pleasure, and that he is getting paid for it."

INSULTS

When Mark Twain disapproved of someone, he was not likely o keep it a secret. A remark he made on hearing of the death of an annoying person is typical:

"He has done a thing for me which I wouldn't even have done for myself. If he will only stay dead now I will call the account square and drop the grudge I bear him."
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
It all began with Adam. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
unconscious humor, model boy
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mark Twain, New York, Connecticut Yankee, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Tramp Abroad, New England, Samuel Clemens, The Mysterious Stranger, William Dean Howells, Gilded Age, San Francisco, American Claimant, More Maxims of Mark, Fourth of July, Years Among the Microbes, Andrew Carnegie, Civil War, The Lowest Animal, The United States of Lyncherdom, Adam's Diary, Bill Nye, Captain Stormfield's Visit, Moral Sense, Refuge of the Derelicts
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