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Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark Twain
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Mark Twain emphasizes the unique skill required to write effectively about weather, suggesting it's an art that demands training.

In this quote, Mark Twain recognizes that writing about weather is not just a simple task but rather a literary craft that requires skill and experience. He implies that only those who have honed their ability to observe and articulate the complexities of weather can produce quality writing on the subject, suggesting that literary appreciation stems from both knowledge and practice.

Themes

WeatherLiteratureWritingSkillArt

In practice

Example use cases

A writer might use this quote to encourage aspiring authors in a workshop about the intricacies of crafting descriptive scenes.

More from Mark Twain

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.
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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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To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
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Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
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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.
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Some things you can't find out; but you will never know you can't by guessing and supposing: no, you have to be patient and go on experimenting until you find out that you can't find out.
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