Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Interpretation
This quote suggests prioritizing a captivating narrative over factual accuracy.
Mark Twain humorously implies that storytelling often takes precedence over truth, highlighting the idea that engaging tales can sometimes resonate more with audiences than factual depictions. This notion resonates particularly in the context of entertainment and journalism, where the excitement of a good story can overshadow actual events and reality.
In practice
A writer discussing the art of storytelling at a literature festival.
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.
Our attention span is shot. We've all got Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD or OCD or one of these disorders with three letters because we don't have the time or patience to pronounce the entire disorder. That should be a disorder right there, TBD - Too Busy Disorder.
Sham Harga had run a successful eatery for many years by always smiling, never extending credit, and realizing that most of his customers wanted meals properly balanced between the four food groups: sugar, starch, grease, and burnt crunchy bits.
Anywhere, anytime, I'd sacrifice the finest nuance for a laugh, the most elegant trope for a smile.
New Rule: Food companies must face the facts: One container equals one serving. Look, we’re Americans, and that means once we open the bag, there’s no stopping us until we’re licking stray bits of powdered cheese off the carpet. So stop trying to give us nutritional information based on a fraction of the package. It assumes a talent for two things that we’re really not capable of: restraint and math.
If you're politically correct, chances are you're not coming to one of my shows. I get to go onstage and say things that everybody thinks all the time, but can't say out loud.
I never know when I am being funny, and the other way too. I don't think you can think about that. I don't think you can try to be funny. Some people are just funny.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.