Samuel Clemens, the Great Mark Twain

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Most people have forgotten the man born Samuel Clemens, who became the revered preacher of truth, Mark Twain. Even worse, those who have barely heard of him think of him as a backwoods bigot. Nothing could be further from the truth. So much can be learned from this outspoken, scholarly man of the world. Following, you will find a barrage of quotes, which we don't expect you to read, but we hope that you do. May all gods ever invented bless The Great Mark Twain.

On Preaching

The art of preaching is to influence you. From the pulpit and from the mouths of all of you the preaching goes on all the time. Our words and acts are not for ourselves but for others. They are like the tidal waves of the seas that encircle the earth. They are heard about us when they are uttered. We are preaching all the time, even if we do not know it. We forget that we carry influence. We ought to remember it, however, and make it a constant reminder. We had better see that our conduct is of a favorable nature.

See that your preaching, when alive, be of the character that, when you are dead, others may reap the secondary effort of what you did. Let it be good, not bad. Preaching, when dead, is not lost. Washington died over 100 years ago, but he still preaches. His character, service, and words still live. Every day nations striving for liberty fully appreciate what he did. Words sometimes perish, but conduct is lasting.
- Mark Twain's First Sermon