Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
He was a solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old iceberg who looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity.
Interpretation
This quote humorously describes a person as overly serious and stiff, comparing him to an iceberg.
Mark Twain uses vivid imagery to convey the character of a person who is excessively solemn and moralizing, likening him to an icebergβcold and unyielding. The comparison suggests that this individual lacks warmth and humor, embodying a rigid, perhaps self-righteous attitude that makes him seem out of place and waiting for something that signifies a higher status, as implied by the reference to a vacancy in the Trinity.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of humor in leadership.
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.
You can tell how boring a person is by the lack of fear in their eyes when someone is flipping through photos on their phone.
Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.
You ever noticed how people who believe in Creationism look really un-evolved? You ever noticed that? Eyes real close together, eyebrow ridges, big furry hands and feet. "I believe God created me in one day". Yeah, looks like He rushed it
I do not often laugh, sir, as you may perceive by the air of my countenance; but nevertheless, I retain the privilege of laughing when I please.
What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming.
No, my friend, I am not drunk. I have just been to the dentist, and need not return for another six months! Is it not the most beautiful thought? --Poirot
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