10 Inspiring Quotes by Mark Twain

Now that Mark Twain's autobiography is coming out, we've rounded up some of his classic quotes from the past.

By . Posted on May 24 2010

Mark Twain, public domain image

Writer Mark Twain captured turn-of-the-century America in a way that few others could, writing books and essays full of imagination and satiric wit. He also had plenty of great advice that stands the test of time—here are just a few of his pearls of wisdom.

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.

Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

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 the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.

When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.

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