A Book of Quotations (Dover Thrift Editions) - The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

I guess I've aged since I first read Mark Twain. I found I didn't agree with some of his ideas.
However, it will do very well on the book shelf at my holiday unit which other family members
use. I think it's handy to have reading matter that can be looked at for short periods of time.

After a gruelling
Day, what more does the mind need; some relaxation, subtle laughter and ease. Laughter is the Best medicine, so with such notable quotes, there is plenty to challenge ones thoughts and mindset. All Work and No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy. We need Play and Laughter to keep a stable mind. I will recommend this book to any one who desires soundness of Mind and body.

I gave this to my son for his birthday. He is always quoting what other people say, so as long as I have to listen to it, it may as well be Mark Twain! Now, if only my son will absorb some of his wit and wisdom...

I LOVED THIS BOOK. IT IS A REPOSITORY OF GREATNESS, ORGANIZED WELL AND PRESENTED EFFECTIVELY. I HAVE ALWASY ENJOYED THE WIT AND PROFOUND INSIGHTS THAT TWAIN'S WORKS HAVE PROVIDED. HIS WIT AND WISDOM COVER SUCH A WIDE EXPANSE THAT HE SEEMS TO MASTER EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE.

This book keeps all of Twain's witticisms and wise remarks in convenient categories for quick reference. I keep it nearby when writing anything. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates humor and insight.

Was somewhat disappointed. There are many and more poignant and witty quotations from Mark Twain's body of work so I expected more. It is still a good purchase and a few of the quotations were very funny and unexpected.

What a brilliant man, with such insight into humanity! He is one of my favorite authors. What a treat to have his sayings with me on my Kindle at all times.I would have loved to meet him, but to paraphrase "Tis better to have secondhand diamonds than none at all!"

The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain supplemented a Public TV program I watched. I enjoyed the book, Wit and Wisdom more than the TV program. The book arrived when promised and was in EXCELLENT condition.

Love Mark Twain, have been a fan of his for 55 years. am very glad that I have the opportunity to collect his works.My favourite Innocents Abroad - priceless.
Books arrived promptly, safely and the price very reasonable.
Thank you for your service.

My package arrived a day early, which is always a plus. The book was in great condition. I was so excited that it was here that I wound up giving it to my fiance as an early Christmas gift. He keeps it bedside to read at night and is always commenting on how wonderful the quotes are. Great buy!

I am beyond angry. When I originally bought this book, it was the complete works of Twain, not this BS 60 pages of quotes. the store stole my book digitally and swapped it with this. Chatting with customer service now but they don't seem like they'll be much help.

There are days, like this one, when I need a reason to laugh, or smile, or reflect . . . and I turn to -- "The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain"--such as this quote: "I am going to live within my income this year, even if I have to borrow money to do it." This delightful collection of Twainisms is organized by topic, so it is a handy reference to keep around. And, while Mark Twain was definitely a man of his times, plus a sought after speaker, humorists, and very successful author, he was still a real man who lived life to the max. His early years included a wide-variety of career changes, but he made the most of his years as a riverboat captain. I bought my copy at the Mark Twain Museum in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. A charming little "time-capsule" river-town that is worth your time and effort to visit. However, his writings are also a charming "time-capsule" too . . . that take you back to a time in our history when life was simpler, yet much the same as today . . . burdened with thorny issues and contentious politics. Yet, Twain found the humor in it all to make it more bearable. So, consider escaping to the past and let Mark Twain be your guide. ===> I am author of the award-winning book: When I Was a Child: Based on a true story of love, death, and survival on the Kansas prairie

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).

And so it goes, page after page. You'll find your favorites.

"Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time." Pudd'nhead Wilson 1894, ch 6.

There's how Mr. Ayres presents them from a variety of sources, Twain's books as well as speeches, his notebook and essays and a few from letters and some listed as attributed to him. I have a nice collection of books on my favorite subjects but this simple one, nothing fancy, is one I go back to time and again. I find myself quoting him in various contexts and glad that I know the quotes. the art of Mr. Ayres is to cull out the various quotes from so many sources. Twain said them, Ayres found them and put them together very sensibly by catagories such as Heroism, Music andd Right and Wrong. It's an A to Z compendium. You'll find plenty of lively, homespun quotes that often feel like the very heart of the American character. Can't go wrong with this book.

A hilarious book of qoutes, sayings, and one-liners only Mark Twain could have the genious to create.
A qoute from Adam, the first of many: Adam was but human - this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple's sake, he wanted it only because it was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the serpent; then he would have eaten the serpent.
From Adam, the wit and humor only becomes more hysterical, more riveting, more evident; and we soon discover the true intelligence of Mark Twain. He was not an ordinary man; for no mere ordinary man could have thought, and often dared, to utter such words as Mark Twain, in the era in which he lived.
The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain contains some of his most outrageous qoutes, either written within his books, or his journals, and spanning more than four decades. A great read, which you don't have to start at the beginning, and work your way to the end. And a perfect way to escape the drollery of prime time television.

Mark Twain captures human nature at it's best and worst in this book. The collection of quotes by Twain "alphabetically" comment honestly on topics ranging from adultery to government to money to youth. Such insight into humanity rarely comes along in a lifetime (or several lifetimes!) His words in truly reflect society during his lifespan and, as I have reread this book several times, the passages reflect society today. This book is an "easy read" as it contains memorable quotes as well as portions of a variety of speeches, papers and books/stories Mr. Twian wrote. You can read the entire book at one sitting or glance through it if you have a few minutes to spare and still feel the impact of his writings , thus finding yourself highly amused by his insight. You can pick up the book again at a later time and enjoy it as much as before. The "authors"/collectors/writers of this book are to be applauded.

For wit and wisdom, you needn't look further than Mark Twain. 5 Stars on the book, just by default. Except for the last few pages where the editor, Alex Ayres, includes a bunch of his own gratuitous "What Mark Twain might say today" quotations. Which are neither witty, clever, nor memorable, but just plain dumb and a moronic insult. The nerve of such a person to append their own lame crap to the work of a genius. Imagine a book about Rembrandt with a glossary of the author's bad paintings. A CD collection of Paganini with some joker adding bonus tracks sawing out his own lame violin licks. Unthinkable. Obviously, Ayres is a deluded nonentity, but what was the publisher thinking??????

Mark Twain was one of the funniest human beings that ever visited this planet. He was also a very decent one . He was skeptically wise and had the ability to a sentence or two put the most pretentious of all creatures , the human one, in its place.

This is the man who upon the premature publication of an obituary about him, replied " The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated".

One special reason I have a particular love for his work, is the fact that he of all the great writers, showed the most sympathy and insight into the life and situation of the Jews.

He is one of the few writers who it seems to me never has to try to be funny, because he simply is.

This collection of some of his most famous quips and remarks is a real treat.

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.

a very small book full of very big thoughts.
Mark Twain is so good at just cutting to the chase and saying it like it needs to be said.
We originally bought this little souvenir book at Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, MO... and my sis loved the book so much, we gave it to her, and then realized we couldn't live without it, so we ordered one from here. All is well in the world again. :)

Mr. Mark Twain has done a considerable amount of writing about stuff and such and so it doesn't much surprise a body to see that some publishing people have come out with a book about his "wit and wisdom." I don't see any harm in it, considering that he is long dead and gone and all, and so there is no danger that it might go to his head.

Anyway, this book is a small one, for which I am thankful, not being a great reader of books and such. All the words of wit and wisdom are arranged in an agreeable manner what with headings like "Religion," and "Politics, History" and "Travel" and so on to keep things tidy. And the quotations from the many books that Mr. Mark Twain made are kept short and more or less to the point. And it is written down after everyone of them where the editor, whose name is Paul Negri, found them, which I guess is helpful for some people who want to look them up and read them again or to check and see if Paul Negri got them right.

I reckon he did since it sure looks like he got all the spelling right, although I couldn't say for sure not being a real top notch speller myself. All and all and taken all around, I think this little book does a body proud. I know I felt real good seeing as how myself is quoted in two or three places, and as far as memory serves, I do believe that Mr. Paul Negri got what I said right, although I'm not sure he really picked the best stuff. I mean, I said a lot more than any body could really bear in that long book by Mr. Mark Twain about my so-called "adventures" down the Mississippi with Jim and all that happened. He quotes me as saying that all men are cowards, and I guess that's pretty much the truth, if you look at it deep enough. But heck, that ain't really no big bit of wisdom. Any plum fool could see that considering how people are scared to death of people like kings and such and the Widow Douglas and how the best thing a body can do is just get away from ornery people and truant officers and such.

Not that I like to criticize, cause I ain't much good at it compared to Aunt Polly and Miss Watson and Mr. Mark Twain hisself.

Some of what he writes is pretty funny, like "Familiarity breeds contempt--and children." You gotta really like the use of the dash in that line, don't you? It kinda breaks up the flow of the idea and surprises a body reading it. It's just like when Mr. Mark Twain was on the stage giving all those lectures and talks and such. He just liked to make people laugh, especially if he could get them to laughing at themselves.

Some of these so called witticisms and wisdoms kinda leave a body to wondering what the tarnation old Sammy Clemens (which is his real name, don't you know) had in mind. For instance I don't see the meaning in this line, much less any wit and wisdom in it: "Nothing is so ignorant as a man's left hand, except a lady's watch." I'll be hogtied and sent to Sunday school if I can figure out whether he means a lady's watch on her blouse or a lady's watch in her eyes. And by the way my left hand's about as smart as my right, and I know tell of a few lefties who could tell Mr. Samuel Langhorne Clemens that if either of their hands was dumb, it would be the right one.

But some of this is right smart and makes for some pretty good reading, if a body has such a hankering. For example when I said that "Conscience takes up more room than all the rest of a person's insides" I must say in all modesty that I pretty much knew what I was talking about. But of course this refers only to such people that have done something they need to feel bad about. As Mr. Mark Twain says, "Man is the only animal who blushes. Or needs to."

I analyzed this here book a bit not having a lot else to do, and I can say that Mr. Mark Twain's main technique is to put one thing up against another, close by--the first having quite a real distance from the second, thereby making a body wonder and then have to laugh at such a joining up. Take this for instance: "Do your duty today and repent tomorrow." Now I gotta admit that I sure do cotton up to that juxtaposition, if you wanna call it that. It reminds me of something that Mr. Clemens did not say: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Doing too much good wearies a soul.

I also couldn't help but notice in my analyzing that Mr. Mark Twain is in no danger of going to the Good Place hisself and that may account for the fact that he is so darn awful cynical, if you understand my meaning.

I do have one criticism of this book. It is that Pudd'nhead Wilson seems to have more to say than I do, and considering that I said a lot more than he did in a book that is a lot longer, I just wonder if Mr. Paul Negri is supposing that Pudd'nhead (who wasn't named Pudd'nhead because he was all that full of wit and wisdom) is better at dispensing such than I am.

Be that as it may, this is, as I said before, a short and easy read and therefore I recommend it.

Mark Twain was an inspiring writer, speaker, and philosopher whose words are of immense value. This book provides a collection of his most famous quotations categorized for your convenience.

Books of quotations run the risk of insignificance when little to no unique insight is offered or the quotations are readily available to the public (not unique to the author). This book has issues with both as it merely represents a printing of quotations with no additional content and no exclusivity nor individuality. The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain provided in this book is just as easily discovered with a single Google search, leaving one wondering the purpose of such a simple book.

I would need to use too many adjectives to describe this treasure chest of humor, wit and pure wisdom from America's greatest writer. His observations of human behavior are timeless. This book gives a good introduction to the wealth of material by and about Mark Twain.

Mark Twain has a lot off beautiful and uplifting words of wisdom.
I recommend it to all.

Author: Bogdan Alexandru
Thoughts across Time

AS with any Mark Twain book,novella or short story, these quotes that are pulled from those writings are as the title says, full of the humor and wisdom of one of the greatest thinkers in american History.

The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain is fun to read and see what a master has had to quip about many daily things. It is always fun to see what Twain has to say. Dover makes very afforadble little books so we all can read the classics for less.