Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and he was one of the greatest American authors and humorists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. While many people know Mark Twain stories, you may not know as much information about the life of Mark Twain. The details of his childhood and life show a character with many accomplishments.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.

To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.

I sometimes wonder if our world leaders are very smart and just putting us on, or very stupid and mean it.

But the elastic heart of youth cannot be kept compressed into one constrained shape long at a time.