Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
In my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the enduring memories and emotions associated with past experiences, even after a long time has passed.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the powerful impact of memories that linger with us, suggesting that even though time may pass, the essence of our experiences—such as the beauty of flowers—can remain vivid in our minds. This speaks to the idea that past moments can significantly shape our present emotions and perceptions, emphasizing the connection between memory and the passage of time.
Themes
MemoryNostalgiaFlowersTimeExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to reflect on the importance of past experiences shaping one's future.
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
It seemed to be a necessary ritual that he should prepare himself for sleep by meditating under the solemnity of the night sky... a mysterious transaction between the infinity of the soul and the infinity of the universe.
Victor HugoRead
I came to realize clearly that the mind is no other than the Mountain and the Rivers and the great wide Earth, the Sun and the Moon and the Sky”.
Lord ByronRead
There exists in our society widespread fear of judging…[B]ehind the unwillingness to judge lurks the suspicion that no one is a free agent, and hence doubt that anyone is responsible or could be expected to answer for what he has done…Who has ever maintained that by judging a wrong I presuppose that I myself would be incapable of committing it?
Hannah ArendtRead
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings BryanRead
Whether I praise or criticize someone's action, I imply that I am their judge, that I'm engaged in rating them or what they have done.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
And what is liberty, whose very name makes the heart beat faster and shakes the world? Is it not the union of all liberties - liberty of conscience, of education, of association, of the press, of travel, or labor, or trade?
Frederic BastiatRead