Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
But that's always the way; it don't make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person's conscience ain't got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn't know no more than a person's conscience does I would pison him. It takes up more room than all the rest of a person's insides, and yet ain't no good, nohow.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the complexities of human conscience and morality, suggesting it can be misguided or flawed.
Mark Twain's quote critiques the nature of conscience, illustrating how it can lead individuals astray regardless of whether their actions are right or wrong. Twain humorously compares a misguided conscience to a dog that is unworthy of keeping, emphasizing that a person's inner moral compass can take up significant emotional space yet fail to guide them effectively in their choices.
In practice
In a discussion about ethics, one might use this quote to illustrate the flawed nature of conscience.
Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
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You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns.
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The scripture in times of disputes is like an open town in times of war, which serves in differently the occasions of both parties.
Day by day we should weigh what we have granted to the spirit of the world against what we have denied to the spirit of Jesus, in thought and especially in deed.
I have a hard time figuring out what kind of box to put me in, too, because I don't know exactly what's going on around me or why. But I need to stay outside of boxes because then I can look at what's inside of them without being part of them.
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I feel too much. That's what's going on.' 'Do you think one can feel too much? Or just feel in the wrong ways?' 'My insides don't match up with my outsides.' 'Do anyone's insides and outsides match up?' 'I don't know. I'm only me.' 'Maybe that's what a person's personality is: the difference between the inside and outside.' 'But it's worse for me.' 'I wonder if everyone thinks it's worse for him.' 'Probably. But it really is worse for me.
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