Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.
Interpretation
Mark Twain compares his writing to water, accessible to all, while acknowledging the brilliance of great writers as exquisite wine.
In this quote, Mark Twain humbly reflects on the nature of his own literary works, suggesting that while they may not possess the grandeur of those produced by the great geniuses of literature, they serve an essential purpose, much like water does for survival. He implies that his writing is basic yet vital and that it resonates with a wider audience, emphasizing the importance of accessibility in literature regardless of its perceived quality.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the value of accessible literature.
Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
The easy part of being an artist is figuring out the message that everyone else is ready to hear. The hard part is waiting for the proper lull to make the announcement.
You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns.
To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
We must always meet our obligation to those who fall behind without our assistance. But let's remember, without a race there can be no champion, no records broken, no excellence - in education or any other walk of life.
No university in the world has ever risen to greatness without a correspondingly great library... When this is no longer true, then will our civilization have come to an end.
Education isn't something you can finish
Headmasters have powers at their disposal with which Prime ministers have never yet been invested.
The teacher who allows his scholars the freedom of the city of books is at liberty to be their guide, philosopher and friend; and is no longer the mere instrument of forcible intellectual feeding.
Chefs have a new opportunity - and perhaps even an obligation - to inform the public about what is good to eat, and why.
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