Mark Twain quotes and description

1. Mark Twain Quotes

2. “Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was
here first.”
Often times, in life when things are hard or stand in the way of my success, I think, “Why me? What did I do to the
world to deserve this?” or “Come on you owe me this!” In reality, while these thoughts do come to my head, they
shouldn’t. Everything that I get in life I should work for. Nothing should be given without hard work. The world
does not owe me a good grade on a test, or a work free life. Hard work is the key to success. No one owes me
anything. I’ve learned that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. The world does not give away
success for free, work for it, and earn it, and it will be all the more rewarding.

3. “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is
laughter”
Laughter has gotten me through many hard times within my life. By using this mechanism
I avoid being sad or letting things get to me easily. As many people say, laughter is the
best medicine and I believe that it is one-hundred percent true. By focusing on the good
and trying to see the better in things, you can overall be a happier person. -Natalie

4. “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything
on which it is poured.”
Holding in anger can affect someone much more than releasing it. Anger that is
built up inside of someone can affect them a great amount. It affects the “vessel”
much more than if it was used to call someone a name or yell. People understand that
stuff like that happens when you are angry. Acid slowly deteriorates the vessel
holding it more and more, but only does a certain amount of damaged when it is
poured. Just as anger does to whoever is holding it in.

5. “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in
the dog.”
It doesn't matter if that dog is big or small because it
depends on how much that dog wants to win that fight. We
see this in dogs but we also see it in everyone else. You
might be the smallest person out there but still have the
biggest heart. It all comes down on who wants it more and
who’s gonna go that extra step to get it. I am able to relate
to this quote. I can use this quote when I am playing
basketball. I’m not the biggest person on the court but I’m
someone who has the biggest heart for the game. I know
when I’m out there that I want it more than the other team.
There is another quote similar to this one that I love to use.
It is “It’s not how big you are it’s how big you play”. These
two quotes have a great amount of meaning to them. I’m
not big but the fight inside of me is. In basketball, I never
gave up and I kept fighting. -jordan

6. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
In school I always hear my classmates talk about other classmates problems. I wonder why they mind so much about those issues. I had
always told myself that if problems of others or, myself won’t affect my life then it does not matter. This is a philosophy a lot of my
generation struggles with because I can see and hear it being done around me. People spread rumors about others and talk gossip when
in reality it doesn’t change their life so, it actually does not matter. - Grace

7. “Let us not be too particular; it is better to have old secondhand
diamonds than none at all.”
Anything is better than nothing. From this quote it
can be interpreted that Twain is advising us to stop being so
picky. “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.”
Sometimes all you can do is be grateful for what you have
instead of wishing for more. Everybody is guilty of wanting
better or being ungrateful. But as Twain says, “Let us not be too
particular.” This reminds me to stop being so picky about my
food or my clothes or anything in that matter, because there are
people out there that have absolutely nothing. I might not have
the nicest house, but at least I have a roof over my head. There
are a lot of people out there that don’t have as many privileges
as us, so we must appreciate those “secondhand diamonds.”

8. “Denial ain’t just a river in egypt.”
This quote speaks to me very deeply due to the fact
that denial is something very common in my life. It
frustrates me when people are in denial with themselves,
yet at the same time, I am often in denial with myself. I put
up walls and sit in denial that nothing bothers or affects
me, but that is very untrue. It is a defense mechanism and
something very real. This is a flaw that I wish I could
change in myself and in others because it is dangerous.
However, I am beginning to learn that it is okay not to be
okay rather than living in denial. Sometimes, people would
rather live in denial that face the truth, or utter reality, and
with everything that has happened in my life, I am
definitely one of those people. Although this is true, I am
learning to face how I feel and break down the denial that
has been imbedded in me for a very long time. Denial can,
and does, ruin lives and society because it is hard to deal
with important issues. Denial is poison, leading nowhere
but to hurt and permanent damage. This quote contains
social commentary, wit, and satire in the sense that the
world is constantly in denial, a truth that seems like it will
never change.

9. “I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never
happened”
To me, (someone who worries about everything and anything) this quote
is extremely relatable. Feeling worried all the time is not something that is fun
to deal with and I think that speaks for most people. However, many times I
find myself worrying about certain things, and in the long run I look back and
realize that there was no point in worrying at all. Even the smallest things that
can worry someone, will most likely never happen.