"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."

Motivation

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on motivation by Mark Twain resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in motivation is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He has been praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced", with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature". Twain's novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel". He also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and cowrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

More quotes by Mark Twain  ’
Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Mark Twain

"It is a enduring truth that an idea is a delicate seed; water it with curiosity and protect it from cynicism."

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"What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself."

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"Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person."

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More about Motivation

"Fortitude is the quiet voice at eventide saying: I will try once more tomorrow — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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"It's very hard to imagine the phrase 'consumer society' used so cheerfully, and interpreted so enthusiastically, in England."

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"I never make a movie for awards consideration. I will use the hope of getting an Academy Award a) to honor the people who work so hard and also b) it's the greatest Good Housekeeping seal in the world. It's the greatest brand. It's as good as Louis Vuitton and Dior in the world of moviemaking. It's the Super Bowl."

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