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Mark Twain Question

by thunderbird
9 replies
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How did Mark Twain get so smart and insightful, I mean like on pretty much any given topic? It's freakish.

"You can’t break a bad habit by throwing it out the window. You’ve got to walk it slowly down the stairs.” ~ Mark Twain
  • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
    Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

    How did Mark Twain get so smart and insightful, I mean like on pretty much any given topic?
    ???
    And yet, in other parts of his life - specifically in business - Twain was a crashing failure. Though Twain's income from his books made him something like a millionaire in today's dollars, he spent much of his adult life broke and in debt.
    The Ghost Of Mark Twain: Why Smart People Fail, And What To Do About It | EternalSufferingSociety.com
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

      I was referring to his literature and insightful quotes. I didn't read any biographies of him, but now see that I should have.

      ("Why smart people fail." Yeah, it can suck for a person not to have an excuse, nary even the crutch of "stupidity" as a sturdy "no es mi culpa" reinforcement. Let's just say, this is not a topic I am comfortable with, lol.)
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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

        I was referring to his literature and insightful quotes. I didn't read any biographies of him, but now see that I should have.

        ("Why smart people fail." Yeah, it can suck for a person not to have an excuse, nary even the crutch of "stupidity" as a sturdy "no es mi culpa" reinforcement. Let's just say, this is not a topic I am comfortable with, lol.)
        Some people are simply more insightful that most. And he happened to also be a writer, so people became aware of it.


        If you study human behavior, and can write well...and are prolific....you'll probably get a reputation for wisdom too.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
      David,

      Good link re: Mark Twain. I can see where this might apply to many people in different ways... including myself. :rolleyes:

      Joe Mobley



      Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

      "He invested in a watch company run by ex-patent medicine salesmen; well, you get the idea."

      Oh oh. I hope that ex-patent medicine salesman wasn't my great grandfather (who didn't write squat as far as I know, but was good at business).
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  • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
    A better question is how did Leonardo Da Vinci become such a genius at the time he did, ie at the end of a period known as the Dark Ages?

    And to David's post above, Sir Isaac Newton, a genius by anyone's definition, lost a large part of his fortune in the South Sea Bubble which was an incredibly stupid thing to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sumit Menon
    The answer is in this quote-

    "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Sumit Menon View Post

      The answer is in this quote-

      "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
      That thought made him exceptional. Maybe one in 10,000.
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    • Profile picture of the author lcombs
      Originally Posted by Sumit Menon View Post

      The answer is in this quote-

      "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
      Speaks to Paul Simon's "Kodachrome".
      "When I look back on all the crap I learned in High School,
      it's a wonder I can think at all."

      One of my Twain quotes is:
      "Every one complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."

      He was a gifted man.
      But, what amazes me more are the founding fathers.
      They are akin to 20 - 30 Mark Twains gathered at the same place, at the same time.
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