Mark Twain Blog » Mark Twain Biography

On Keeping an Open Mind and Freeing a Human Soul

Thomas Schueneman — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:51:25 +0000

"Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul in this world – and never will."
-Mark Twain

Freedom begins with keeping an open mind.

On Accepting Compliments and Liking It

Thomas Schueneman — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:29:51 +0000

“I do not make any pretense that I dislike compliments. The stronger the better and I can manage to digest them.”
-Mark Twain, speech, “The Last Lotos Club”

Do go on.

Really, though, enough about me…

How was I?

Tags: accepting+compliments, mark+twain+quotes, quotes+interpreted

On University Degrees

Thomas Schueneman — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 01:43:36 +0000

“Now then, to me university degrees are unearned finds, and they bring the joy that belongs with property acquired in that way; and the money-finds and the degree-finds are just the same in number up to date–three: two from Yale and one from Missouri University.

It pleased me beyond measure when Yale made me a Master of Arts, because I didn't know anything about art; I had another convulsion of pleasure when Yale made me a Doctor of Literature, because I was not competent to doctor anybody's literature but my own, and couldn't even keep my own in a healthy condition without my wife's help. I rejoiced again when Missouri University made me a Doctor of Laws, because it was all clear profit, I not knowing anything about laws except how to evade them and not get caught.

And now at Oxford I am to be made a Doctor of Letters–all clear profit, because what I don't know about letters would make me a mutli-millionaire if I could turn it into cash.”
Mark Twain, Autobiography

It shouldn’t be the degree that really matters, but, if the degree holder has really learned anything, what it represents.

Tags: mark+twain, mark+twain+quotes, mark+twain+university+degree, education, college+degree+mark+twain