"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live."

Philosophy

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on philosophy by Mark Twain resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in philosophy 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

"The finest clothing made is a person's own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this."

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"It is a profound truth that the test of character in leadership is how one behaves in moments of unvarnished power — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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"It is a unyielding truth that to love deeply is to give someone the power to heal what words cannot reach."

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More about Philosophy

"But reason always cuts a poor figure beside sentiment the one being essentially restricted, like everything that is positive, while the other is infinite."

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"I think that when you get dressed in the morning, sometimes you're really making a decision about your behavior for the day. Like if you put on flipflops, you're saying: 'Hope I don't get chased today.' 'Be nice to people in sneakers.'"

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"I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night, 'There must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me dreaming of being a movie star.' But I'm not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest."

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"I care about the connection with the audience. Film is such a powerful medium. Movies can change the way people think."

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