15 Powerful Quotes from Mark Twain

15 Powerful Quotes from Mark Twain

15 Powerful Quotes from Mark Twain
18
APRIL, 2018
Samuel Osho
If you check the annals of history and carefully search for giants in English literature, you will easily come across a phenomenal writer from America – Mark Twain. Twain’s humor can crack your ribs even on a bad day.
He orchestrated a plethora of adventures for his readers – from “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” he was a writer with a Midas touch. A therapeutic touch that makes you laugh and think at the same time.
Mark Twain was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. Interestingly, we share the same first name – Samuel. Unknown to many, Mark Twain is a pen name while the brain behind the pen is Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
He was famous in literary circles for his outstanding use of satire and humor both in prose and speech. Though some of his entrepreneurial adventures never turned out prosperous, he was one of the few writers who became wealthy through the proceeds of the pen.
As you read some of his inspiring quotes, you should consider reading at least one of his books if you are yet to do so. “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” will be a good place to start.
Here we go:
The Fifteen balls of energy

1.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

2.

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

3.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heels that has crushed it.”

4.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.”

5.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

6.

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

7.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

8.

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have the remember anything.”

9.

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

10.

“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.”

11.

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”

12.

“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”

13.

“I never let schooling interfere with my education.”

14.

“Everything has its limit – iron ore cannot be educated into gold.”

15.

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Bonus Quote: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great.” – Mark Twain
I am sharing these quotes because they have deeply inspired me to do more with my life. These quotes cover a range of life issues that we encounter in our daily endeavors. The words of the wise are truly treasured pearls; they guide us when in doubt of which path to follow.
It is your turn to share with me. I am curious! Which one of these quotes is your favorite? 

On Martin Luther King Jr: Your Dreams Are Still Valid

On Martin Luther King Jr: Your Dreams Are Still Valid

On Martin Luther King Jr: Your Dreams Are Still Valid

4

APRIL, 2018

Samuel Osho

Few months before Theresa May moved into 10 Downing Street, a friend told me about his dream of securing a scholarship for a course in the United Kingdom. His academic records were in sharp contrast to the grades of the past winners of this scholarship and it looked more like a wishful thinking. But he did what most people often ignore – he went to work and gave a hard push on his dreams. He pushed so hard that the universe caved in and supported the feeble knees of his dreams until they became a reality.

Ever since 1968, April 4 has been separated as a day to reflect on the illustrious life of Martin Luther King Jr. A day when one of America’s greatest civil rights activist was killed in cold blood. Though he was assassinated, his dreams lived on. In fact, his dreams did the unthinkable. Close to half-a-century after his death, his dream produced America’s first black President. King’s tenacity to fight for the freedom of the blacks was beyond passion, he embodied it.

Before his name could fit perfectly on the lips of everyone, he paid a price. He sacrificed his comfort, his sleep, his peace and his life for a cause he believed in. King’s commitment lit the flames of passion in the hearts of his followers. Little sparks here and there started a movement that crushed the ideologies and laws of White supremacists in the US.

As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of King’s death, I have no intention of educating you about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. because a lot has been written and said about him. I am just here to give you a nudge as you pursue your dreams.

What price are you willing to pay for your dreams?

On January 26, 1956, King was arrested as part of a campaign to intimidate the bus boycotters in Montgomery. The bus boycott lasted for 382 days until victory was ascertained: the Supreme Court of the United States declared segregation laws on public transport to be unconstitutional.

Four days after the arrest, his house was bombed.
In September 1958, he had a close shave with death when he was stabbed by an assailant at a book signing held in Harlem.
On October 19, 1960, King was arrested and sentenced to four months in jail. However, he was released shortly after intervention by the Kennedy brothers, John and Robert.
On December 16, 1961, King was arrested in Albany for leading a protest without a permit.
On July 27, 1962, he was arrested and jailed for holding a prayer vigil in Albany, Georgia. He was released on August 10.
On Good Friday, April 12, 1963, King was arrested and jailed alongside Ralph Abernathy for demonstrating without a permit in Birmingham. During his days in prison, he authored his historic “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
In May 1963, segregationists bombed Gaston Motel where King was staying.

 

On June 11, 1964, King was arrested while protesting for integration of public accommodations in St. Augustine, Florida.
On February 2, 1965, King was arrested in Selma, Alabama during a voting rights demonstration.
On August 5, 1966, a mob of angry whites stoned King while leading a march in Chicago.
On October 30, 1967, he was arrested and jailed in Birmingham for demonstrating without a permit. He spent four days in jail.

 

Before King’s dream placed him on the front cover of TIME Magazine in January 1964 as its Man of the Year, his dream landed him in jail on several occasions. He was stoned and described as crazy in the books of many. But the only reason we all read about him today was because he never gave up.
In the pursuit of your dreams, you may find yourself locked in solitude; a world of your own that makes you look like a cipher to others. People just find it hard to understand your spirited optimism about the future. Often, it looks like a prison but this is to let you know that you won’t be behind the bars forever.

 

King was popularly known for his non-violence methods of resisting opposition. Alongside his wife, Coretta, he travelled on a pilgrimage to India for a month in February 1959 to learn from the works of Mahatma Gandhi. Beyond his inspiring speeches and words that moved mountains of black segregation, he was approachable and compassionate at heart. He was special because he had immense love for the people.
At some point, while learning to use the ropes, you will need people. You can’t do it alone. You may need to reach out to a friend. Ask for the help of a mentor. Seek the counsel of others. If all you need to achieve your dream is you, then your dream is not big enough to influence the world.

 

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For black segregation to end in the US, demonstrations were held, protesters were beaten, activists were killed but the dream thrived on. When the time was ripe for the dream to be tested, the man at the center of the movement had to pay the ultimate price. But today, black Americans are winning the war against racism because a man was bold enough to “have a dream.”
A day after delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, he was killed by a sniper while standing the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.
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My friend, your dreams are still valid. You can still push through the blankets of obscurity and reach out to the world with your message of hope. Your prison today maybe the discomfort you go through because of some personal sacrifices but you never can tell who your dream will inspire tomorrow.
Everyone that met King before the 1963 historic speech “I Have a Dream” knew what he stood for. He kept talking about it to everyone.

 

“If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral – and if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy tell him not to talk too long. Tell him not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that’s not important. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity” – Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Today is the best day to start writing that book and tell your friends about the song you have always wanted to write.
Many men and women have died but the best of them offered the world a gift before their last breath – a dream that outlives them. 
Your dreams are still valid. Let them breathe and let them blossom like the lilies by the riverside.

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