Quote by Mark Twain

What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those of other things, are his history. These are his life, and they are not written. Everyday would make a whole book of 80,000 words -- 365 books a year. Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man -- the biography of the man himself cannot be written.

What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and h

Summary

This quote suggests that a person's true life is not solely determined by their actions and words, which are visible to others, but by their private thoughts and inner world. It highlights the constant mental activity that occurs within an individual, shaping their personal history. The quote also implies that although biographies may attempt to capture a person's life, they can only provide an external and superficial perspective, merely describing the person's external attributes. The depth and complexity of an individual can only truly be understood by themselves, as their real biography exists within their own mind, unrecorded and unwritten.

Topics

Inner Life Biography

By Mark Twain

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