27 Jun 2016

For a dude who died more than 100 years ago, Mark Twain’s writings are surprisingly relevant. For those unfamiliar with the American literary icon, he’s the guy who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, both great novels in their own right that have stood the test of time.

While Mark Twain was once described as “the father of American Literature”, he also did an apprenticeship as a printer, worked as a miner and as a riverboat captain on the Mississippi River. With such wide and different experiences in the workforce, he had a lot to say about education, employment and #lifehacks- he even looked like the wise dude he was. Here are some of his pithiest quotes, along with a little explanation of how they might relate to your life, your education and your career.

1. ‘If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.’

These are words to live by, straight up. Dishonesty weaves a messy and uncomfortable web around everything it touches and you’ve got to remember the lies you told and tell more lies to cover them up. Sometimes the truth isn’t what we want it to be, but it’s pure liberation when everything is out in the open.

 2. ‘Inherently, each of us has the substance within to achieve whatever our goals and dreams define. What is missing from each of us is the training, education, knowledge and insight, to utilize what we already have.’

It sounds kinda wordy but it’s actually a really simple one: you can achieve your goals and aspirations, but you might need some training to get where you want to be. Whether it’s an apprenticeship, a traineeship, a degree or on-the-job training, you’ll need to learn stuff. Some of these options sound long and difficult but it’s almost always worth it, even just to really know what you don’t want to do. And when you find what you really want to do, education and training can be super satisfying.

3. ‘I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.’

 While Twain regarded education and training as important, he was good at putting things in perspective. Teachers are like wild animals–some are interesting and majestic while others can accidentally kill you. Listen to your teachers, but assess what they tell you with a critical eye. It’s your education and you get to choose what you’ll take away from it.

 4. ‘I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.’

 Paranoia is no fun for anybody, so don’t sweat the small stuff. If you’ve got a really important exam or a hectic job interview, you’re better off preparing well than worrying about the consequences of failure.

 5. ‘The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.’

This one is about privilege, namely your education so far. There are still people in the world who are denied the right to education but you’ve managed to get some–probably a pretty good education too. Since you can read, you should exercise that skill. And since we’re on the subject, why does this quote only mention “man”–shouldn’t it be The person who does not read good books has no advantage over the person who can’t? Question everything, especially antiquated sexist pronouns.

 6. ‘Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.’

People love people who are nice–that’s a fact. Be respectful–at school, work, home and in your social life. I don’t care if you’re a competitive athlete, a politician or a used car salesman–bullying and back-stabbing never got anyone anywhere good. Be kind to people and the world will be a better place.