Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink - under any circumstances.
Interpretation
The quote encourages the importance of kindness while acknowledging personal boundaries regarding self-harm.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the balance between performing acts of kindness and protecting oneself from harm. It suggests that we should strive to help others whenever possible, but we must also be mindful of our own well-being and not engage in actions that could significantly jeopardize it. Additionally, the mention of accepting a drink may imply a social aspect, emphasizing connection with others while still being cautious about personal limits.
In practice
During a speech about community service, this quote can inspire volunteers to help others.
Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
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.
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.
Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.
What I want to bring out is how a pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. And each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that.
When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, and dignified as a king. Immersed in wonder, you can deal with whatever life brings you, and when death comes, you are ready.
There is something terribly morbid in the modern sympathy with pain. One should sympathise with the colour, the beauty, the joy of life. The less said about life's sores the better.
The easiest thing to do on earth is not write.
Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.
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