Mark Twain was very unhappy with himself for various reasons. He was very unhappy with America of this time. He thought it was terrible we had no anti-lynching laws, and he was also a feminist, and he was also very concerned with anti-Semitism. He was a good man, but he was hard on himself.

The only people who claim that money is not important are people who have enough money so that they are relieved of the ugly burden of thinking about it.

I'm very American in the sense of being an explorer. America is filled with people who are interested in exploring landscapes, either external or internal. A westward nation of explorers.

Writing is a consequence of having been 'haunted' by material. Why this is, no one knows.

Most people who are writers go through periods when they can't write.

Why is humanism not the preeminent belief of humankind?

To be knocked out doesn't mean what it seems. A boxer does not have to get up.