Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
The signs of excessive indulgence in this destructive pastime are easily detectable. They are these: A disposition to eat, to drink, to smoke, to meet together convivially, to laugh, to joke, and tell indelicate stories— and mainly, a yearning to paint pictures.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Excessive indulgence in vices leads to easily observable behaviors and yearnings.
Mark Twain highlights the dangers of excessive indulgence in various forms of pleasure, suggesting that they manifest in recognizable behaviors such as revelry, laughter, and even a desire for artistic expression. This observation serves as a caution against overindulgence and promotes a more balanced approach to enjoyment.
Themes
IndulgenceLaughterPleasureArtBehavior
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a discussion on the importance of moderation at a dinner party.
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
You know what's a great way of tricking people into thinking you're a genius? Write a show about geniuses!
Lin-Manuel MirandaRead
After obsessively Googling symptoms for four hours, I discovered 'obsessively Googling symptoms' is a symptom of hypochondria.
Stephen ColbertRead
What makes me laugh is, of course, the absurd, the horror - anything that upsets me.
Joan RiversRead
You are you. Now, isn't that unpleasant?
Dr. SeussRead
There was a lot about the military that I thought was pretty silly, but these cartoons weren't meant to take a poke at anybody or anything. They were meant to make people laugh.
Shel SilversteinRead
Onion rings in the car cushions do not improve with time.
Erma BombeckRead