Not long ago, I read that a very successful writer who’s published more than 40 books
begins each writing day by reading passages from Mark Twain’s classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He does it just to get in touch with Twain’s sparkling prose, gentle wit, and keen insight into the American psyche and the human soul. Inspired by this writing ritual, I wanted to share some of Mark’s masterful musings:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”
“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
“The secret sauce of humor is not joy, but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.”
“It is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog.”
“A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives he habitually uses…”
“It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
“Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.”
“The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.”
“The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.”
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear….
Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.”
“When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.”
“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience. This is the ideal life.”
Bravo, Mark! Energized and emboldened, let’s all write on!