Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
We wish to learn all the curious, outlandish ways of all the different countries, so that we can "show off" and astonish people when we get home. We wish to excite the envy of our untraveled friends with our strange foreign fashions which we can't shake off.
Interpretation
The quote reflects a desire to travel and learn about other cultures primarily for the sake of impressing others.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the human tendency to seek out experiences and knowledge that may stand out to others. It suggests that part of our motivation for exploring new cultures and adopting foreign customs is not just for personal enrichment, but also to astonish those back home, showcasing our adventures with a hint of pride and envy-inducing novelty.
In practice
This quote can be used in a travel blog to emphasize the joy of discovering new cultures.
Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
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To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
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My people are going to learn the principles of democracy, the dictates of truth and the teachings of science. Superstition must go.
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Your ancestors fought for you to have a share in that institution over there. It's yours. See the school board, and every Friday night hold your meetings there. Have your wives clean it up Saturday morning for the children to enter Monday. Your organization is not a praying institution. It's a fighting institution. It's an educational institution along industrial lines. Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!
Schools and schoolmasters, as we have them today, are not popular as places of education and teachers, but rather prisons and turnkeys in which children are kept to prevent them disturbing and chaperoning their parent.
It is my firm belief that all successful languages are grown and not merely designed from first principles
You'll never make your mark as a writer unless you develop a respect for words and a curiosity about their shades of meaning that is almost obsessive. The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want
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