Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel."[1]
Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He apprenticed with a printer. He also worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion's newspaper. After toiling as a printer in various cities, he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, before heading west to join Orion. He was a failure at gold mining, so he next turned to journalism. While a reporter, he wrote a humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", which became very popular and brought nationwide attention. His travelogues were also well-received. Twain had found his calling.
He achieved great success as a writer and public speaker. His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.
He lacked financial acumen, and, though he made a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he squandered it on various ventures, in particular the Paige Compositor, and was forced to declare bankruptcy. With the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers he eventually overcame his financial troubles. Twain worked hard to ensure that all of his creditors were paid in full, even though his bankruptcy had relieved him of the legal responsibility.
Twain was born during a visit by Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would "go out with it" as well. He died the day following the comet's subsequent return. He was lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age," and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."
Quotes·Quotation by Mark Twain[2]
¶ Always do right; this will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
¶ Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person.
@ It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
@ Man is the only animal that blushes--or needs to.
¶ The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
¶ I can live for two months on a good compliment.
¶ Honesty is the best policy - when there is money in it.
¶ Truth is more of a stranger than fiction.
¶ The law of work does seem utterly unfair--but there it is, and nothing can change it: the higher the pay in enjoyment the worker gets out of it, the higher shall be his pay in money, also.
¶ I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.
¶ The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.
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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain