This 1 Simple Mark Twain Quote Will Make You Instantly Smarter
Mark Twain isn’t just known for his celebrated books like Huck Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He’s also one of the most quotable figures in American history. If anyone has ever told you to “never let your schooling interfere with your education” or remarked that “travel is fatal to prejudice,” then you have been quoted Twain.
Concise and clever, Twain quotes were basically 19th-century memes. They’re so easy to spread that it can be easy to forget just how much wisdom Twain manages to pack into such an irresistible little bundle.
Take for example another of his famous quotes, which I recently was reminded of by Medium writer Andy Murphy: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Sure, it’s funny, but both science and super-achievers say it actually contains some of the best advice on how to make yourself instantly smarter than you’re ever likely to come across.
Trying not to be dumb beats trying to be smart
Before I get into why, I should give the usual disclaimer about the attribution of this quote. Like many famous sayings, it’s unclear if Mark Twain actually originated it or just borrowed the sentiment from someone else. Different…
