Mark Twain on Politics

May 6, 2008

  • On Truth and the Public Trust

    When an honest writer discovers an imposition it is his simple duty to strip it bare and hurl it down from its place of honor, no matter who suffers by it; any other course would render him unworthy of the public confidence.-Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad
    The writer is best when he is the impostor's worst enemy. (…)

April 27, 2008

  • On Elections, Politics, and Human Nature

    “If we would learn what the human race really is at bottom, we need only observe it in election times.”-Mark Twain, Autobiography
    Elections reflect the highest ideals of society, executed by the lowest means of human nature. (…)

February 2, 2008

  • On Party and Patriotism

    “No party holds the privilege of dictating to me how I shall vote. If loyalty to party is a form of patriotism, I am no patriot. (…)

December 19, 2007

December 11, 2007

  • On the Value of Questioning Authority

    “Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense”-Mark Twain
    Any power, belief, idea, or proclamation can only prove its worth through contempt and, if worthwhile and right, redemption. (…)

November 25, 2007