I was sorry to have my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, Spencer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I'm not feeling so well myself.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author jokes about the grim reality of mortality affecting all writers.
- In plain terms
- Being a great author often means dying young or eventually dying like everyone else.
- What can you take from it?
- Success does not shield anyone from universal human fate.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What lasts after you're gone?
- How do you view your career?
Another view
Many authors live long productive lives beyond their fame.
More from Mark Twain
Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments flit away and a sunny spirit …
Permalink to quote #30 He had only one vanity; he thought he could give advice better than any other person.
Permalink to quote #32 [Citing a familiar 'American joke':] In Boston they ask, How much does he know? In New York, How much is he worth? In Philadelphia, Who were his parents?
Permalink to quote #29
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