Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it is the sickening grammar that they use.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The true annoyance of fighting cats lies not in their noise, but in their poor grammar.
In this quote, Mark Twain humorously critiques the way people perceive chaos and fighting in basic terms, suggesting that the real irritation comes from the language used rather than the situation itself. This reflects Twain's wit in merging observations of human behavior with linguistic commentary, elevating common experiences into insightful humor.
Themes
HumorLanguageCritiqueTwainChaos
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a debate about language and its social implications.
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
I never eat sushi. I have trouble eating things that are merely unconscious.
George CarlinRead
My favourite kind of comedy comes from the awkwardness of living, the stuff that makes you cringe but borders on tragic - that is more interesting to me. It resonates; it comes from emotional truth.
Taika WaititiRead
You feel completely in control when you hear a wave of laughter coming back at you that you have caused.
Gilda RadnerRead
It is very vulgar to talk about one's own business. Only people like stockbrokers do that, and then only at dinner parties.
Oscar WildeRead
When a dramatic actor does a funny film, people are like, 'Wonderful! I didn't know he was funny!' But when it flips, people can get really thrown by it.
Will FerrellRead
I write funny. If I can make my wife laugh, I know I'm on the right track.
Gene WilderRead