Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
God, so atrocious in the Old Testament, so attractive in the New--the Jekyl and Hyde of sacred romance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the contrasting portrayals of God in the Old and New Testaments, likening them to the dual nature of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the apparent contradiction in the character of God as depicted in religious texts, pointing out the harsh, vengeful nature of God in the Old Testament compared to the loving and forgiving nature portrayed in the New Testament. This duality invites reflection on the complexities of faith and interpretation within religious narratives, evoking a sense of intrigue and skepticism about the nature of divinity.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion on the evolution of religious beliefs in a philosophy class.
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.
You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns.
To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
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.
Similar quotes
Again, the glory of one attribute is more seen in one work than in another: in some things there is more of His goodness, in other things more of His wisdom is seen, and in others more of His power. But in the work of redemption all His perfections and excellencies shine forth in their greatest glory.
To desire and expect nothing for oneself and to have profound sympathy for others is genuine holiness.
God's existence cannot be deduced by reason alone.
The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ's sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God.
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.
In my state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belong to myself and to my eyesight. I am nothing more than a single narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits.