Famous Freemason Quotes – Mark Twain

Famous Freemason Quotes – Mark Twain

Who is Mark Twain and what is his Masonic Story? Let’s start at the beginning Mark Twain was a ‘pen name’ for Brother Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Brother Clemens was born November 30, 1835, and put down his working tools on April 21, 1910. Brother Samuel was better known by his pen name Mark Twain to the world.

Under the pen name of Mark Twain, he was a writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer in the United States with popularity internationally. His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – published in 1876 and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published in 1885. His sequel was later called by many people as “The Great American Novel“.

Here are a few memorable quotes by Mark Twain – enjoy…

  1. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
  2. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
  3. “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
  4. “With courage, you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.”
  5. “Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.”
  6. “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”
  7. “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of your life.”
  8. “The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
  9. “Do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.”
  10. “I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”
  11. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
  12. “It is wiser to find out than suppose.”

Freemasonry Report - Square and Compass - Mark Twain was a Brother Freemason

Mark Twain / Brother Samuel Langhorne Clemens – The Freemason

Brother Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known under his pen name as the author Mark Twain, as stated earlier was an accomplished American author. Brother Samuel Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. In the early years of his life, he worked as an apprentice for a printer. Soon after he went on to work as a Mississippi River pilot. Some Masonic historians think that this was what sparked Brother Clemens’s interest in joining Freemasonry.

Brother Clemens (aka Mark Twain) presented his petition to a local lodge in the city of Saint Louis on December 26, 1860. He was made a Freemason by the brothers of Polar Star Lodge No. 79 on February 18, 1861. This blue lodge was known to be primarily made up of local River Pilots at the time. Thus giving a pausable assumption on how he was introduced and possibly inspired to join our fraternity. He was passed June 10, 1861, to the degree of FellowCraft and soon after was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on July 12, 1861.

Soon after being raised, he left for an employment opportunity in the Nevada Territory working for his brother Orion. His brother at the time was the secretary of the Nevada Territory. Brother Samuel was subsequently suspended from his home lodge.  Therefore his Masonic activity was suspended during that time until Brother Samuel returned from the Nevada Territory. He went and petitioned for readmission to his home Lodge and was reinstated.

Some additional quotes from Mark Twain…

  • “The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.”
  • “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
  • “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
  • “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
  • “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
  • “Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.”
  • “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.”
  • “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.”
  • “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.”
  • “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
  • “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
  • “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
  • “A clear conscience is the sure sign of a bad memory.”
  • “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
  • “Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.”
  • “Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it.”
  • “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”
  • “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”
  • “Out of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.”
  • “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”
  • “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.”
  • “Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.”
  • “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
  • “There’s one way to find out if a man is honest: ask him; if he says yes, you know he’s crooked.”
  • “I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.”
  • “Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”

Famous Freemason Quotes – Mark Twain

Referred by many as the “Father of American Literature,” Brother Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was a journalist, writer, and humorist, more commonly known under his pen name “Mark Twain.” Brother Clemens first wrote under the alias as a newspaper reporter in 1863, referencing a Mississippi River term meaning “Mark #2” or the second mark line on a steamboat denoting safe passage depth on the river.

Later in life, our brother became a busy man; writing, tours, and the beginnings of fame kept him away from Saint Louis for long periods of time. On one of his first trips exploring Europe and the Middle East, Brother Samuel was believed to have been so impressed by Lebanon and its connection to Freemasonry. He ended up retrieving a piece of cedar and had it made into a gavel to send back to the Worshipful Master of his Mother / Home Lodge. Soon, after he fell in love and discontinued in his fraternal pursues. This article was made possible by the Freemasonry Report – enjoy reading more of the Famous Freemason Quotes – Mark Twain.

The most famous quote which links closely to Freemasonry is:  “He praised his Maker that he was as he was and went on enjoying his little life just the same as if he really had been deliberately designed and erected by the Great Architect of the Universe.” –  Innocents Abroad, Published in 1869 by Brother Samuel Clemens as known as Mark Twain.

Famous Mark Twain quotes and sayings…

  1. “Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.”
  2. “The finest clothing made is a person’s own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.”
  3. “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
  4. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
  5. “Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.”
  6. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
  7. “I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell – you see, I have friends in both places.”
  8. “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re misinformed.”
  9. “Golf is a good walk spoiled.”
  10. “When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”
  11. “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive, but it is lightning that does the work.”
  12. “Man was made at the end of the week’s work when God was tired.”
  13. “The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.”
  14. “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”
  15. “Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet.”
  16. “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
  17. “Let us endeavor so to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
  18. “I make it a rule never to smoke while I’m sleeping.”
  19. “The more you explain it, the more I don’t understand it.”

Thank you for reading this brief Masonic documented history of Brother Samuel Clemens writing under the pen name of  Mark Twain. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as the Freemasonry Report has researched it.

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