Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident; the only earthly certainty is oblivion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fame and popularity are fleeting and unreliable, while ultimately, we all face oblivion.
In this quote, Mark Twain reflects on the transient nature of fame and popularity, suggesting that they are not lasting achievements but rather ephemeral states. He emphasizes that, despite the allure of public recognition, the certainty of life is oblivion, reminding us to seek more substantial and enduring purposes in our existence beyond fame and societal approval.
Themes
FamePopularityOblivionTransienceLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a graduation speech to remind students about the deeper values in life.
More from Mark Twain
All quotes βThe easy part of being an artist is figuring out the message that everyone else is ready to hear. The hard part is waiting for the proper lull to make the announcement.
Mark TwainRead
You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns.
Mark TwainRead
To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
Mark TwainRead
Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
Mark TwainRead
In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
Mark TwainRead
Similar quotes
A psychoneurosis must be understood, ultimately, as the suffering of a soul which has not discovered its meaning.
Carl JungRead
Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.
John VianneyRead
If I was President of the United States, I'd rather be right than interesting. If I was CEO of a company, I'd rather be right than interesting. But I'm a journalist - what journalist would rather be right than interesting?
Malcolm GladwellRead
I no longer care about the financial system. I gave them my roadmap. OK? Thanks, bye. I've no idea what's going on. I'm disconnected. I'm totally disengaged.
Nassim Nicholas TalebRead
I have seen the rise of fascism and communism. Both philosophies glorify the arbitrary power of the state... But both theories fail. Both deny those God-given liberties that are the inalienable right of each person on this planet, indeed, they deny the existence of God.
Ronald ReaganRead
Then we shall... be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God.
Stephen HawkingRead