Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
When I was fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have him around. When I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. See what happens when you "know it all", at any stage of life? Farther down the track you may see clearly how certain personal opinions, held onto too tightly, could be fogging up the view, and providing incorrect insight. Prosperity is the best protector of principle.
Interpretation
What this quote means
As we grow older, we often realize the ignorance of our youth and see the wisdom in the experience of others, particularly our parents.
Mark Twain's quote reflects the evolution of understanding that often occurs from adolescence to adulthood. It highlights how youthful arrogance can blind us to the insights and knowledge that others, especially our parents, possess. Through life experiences, individuals often come to appreciate the lessons learned from their elders, realizing that their previous judgments were overly simplistic. The quote also emphasizes the danger of holding onto rigid opinions, as they can obstruct our ability to gain true insight and understanding.
Themes
WisdomUnderstandingGrowthLearningExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a family gathering to discuss how perspectives change over time.
More from Mark Twain
All quotes →The 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
Detach yourself from all that makes your mind restless. Renounce all that disturbs its peace. If you want peace, deserve it. By being a slave to your desires and fears, you disturb peace.
Sri Nisargadatta MaharajRead
If you expect the wise man to be as angry as the baseness of crimes requires, then he must not only be angry but go insane.
Seneca The YoungerRead
The ability to dream is all I have to give. That is my responsibility; that is my burden. And even I grow tired.
Harlan EllisonRead
It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.
Abraham LincolnRead
"Softly, softly, catchee monkey," is the West African rendering of a very valuable precept. An awful lot of men fail through lack of patient persistence.
Robert Baden-PowellRead
You do not lose your value or preciousness when you grow to be a adult. You are still that miraculous creation. You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.
Pablo CasalsRead