Archive for the ‘mark twain’ Tag
I finally feel as if my entire life has been justified and validated. I never thought it would happen but today was the day. I stayed up late last night snuggling warmly on my favorite chair with my Kindle. I’ve been on a reading binge of late but decided to switch from my normal detective novels to some non-fiction. After a thorough search of the Kindle Store I was able to download a number of books and essays that caught my eye.
Just for background purposes you should know that many many times in my life I’ve been accused of being a ‘wise ass’. For me it stopped being something derogatory when I was still in junior high school. It became a badge of honor at that point and I set out to be the best ‘wise ass’ I could be. It’s good to have goals, don’t you know.
I’ve always enjoyed the company of other ‘wise asses’ because we understand each other. We all seem to be quick witted and able to crack wise at a moments notice. It’s not as easy and glamorous as it sounds. It takes years of hard work and dedication just to get to the level where your recognized by others after just a few minutes of conversation.

Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain
I also enjoyed reading as a teenager and I became hooked on anything written by Mark Twain. It became obvious very quickly that while Mark Twain could spin a tale like nobody’s business his alter ego, Samuel Clemens, was the ultimate sarcastic wise ass. The more sarcastic and glib he became the more in demand he was. Last night I began reading his essay on "The Decay of the Art of Lying" and it took just a few paragraphs for me to realize that I needed to give more thought to lying in general and really good lying in particular. This quote stood out in just the first paragraph:
"No high-minded man, no man of right feeling, can contemplate the lumbering and slovenly lying of the present day without grieving to see a noble art so prostituted."
Another favorite ‘wise ass’ of mine was Will Rogers. Although he died in a plane crash in Alaska in 1935 much of his writings and quotations can be found everywhere. He was the leading political wit of the Progressive Era, and was a top-paid Hollywood movie star at the same time. He was another ‘wise ass’ who made it big before his untimely death. His good-old-boy approach to ridicule and humor made him funny, well liked, with a sarcasm that was dripping with honey. He was the sort who could take you to task for something stupid you’ve done and have you laughing at yourself as he left the room.

It’s a real shame that both of these ‘wise asses’ weren’t able to live long enough to see how our current political figures of both parties have proudly carried the art form of lying to new heights.
I’ve always been good at spinning a yarn to avoid lying but maybe I should have just blurted out the truth. Clemens stated rather emphatically that everyone lies. Whether it’s a little white lie or a lie of omission, it’s still a lie. We are a nation of liars. I honestly believe I prefer things the way they are because telling the absolute truth regardless of the consequences can get nasty and unfriendly very quickly. It makes the age old question "Does my ass look too big in this dress?" a life threatening situation. No thank you. Here’s one last quote from Clemens to support my position:
"None of us could live with an habitual truth-teller, but thank goodness none of us have to. A habitual truth-teller is an impossible creature; he does not exist; he never has existed. Everybody lies-every day; every hour; asleep; in his dreams; in his joy; in his mourning; if he keeps his tongue still, his hands, his feet, his eyes, his attitude, will convey deception-and purposely."
I’m an even bigger fan of Samuel Clemens and Will Rogers that I was previously. It’s nice to see a few sarcastic ‘wise asses’ make the big time. I just wanted to take the time to acknowledge them with this self-created Wise Ass Appreciation Day. Thankfully for all of us their works will live on forever.
Wise Asses – 2
The Rest of the World – 0
I spend a lot of my time watching and listening to people. It’s my most favorite of activities to be sure. I’ve recently began to see unusual patterns occurring in others which trouble me a great deal. It seems we as a people are loosing the ability to insult others with tact or sarcasm. I know, I was as stunned as you are. What is this country coming to if we lose that important ability. That’s one of the losses we suffer from too much political correctness.
"Your mother wears combat boots." was a good way for me to get my ass kicked in grade school. It was almost as bad as "Your mother dresses you funny." or "If my dog looked like your mother, I’d shave his ass and make him walk backward." Mother insults were always a good way to insult someone and be absolutely sure to get the proper reaction.
These days you can’t even call someone a liar, you must say “he’s diligently avoiding the truth”. That’s pussy talk in my opinion. Give me the good old days when someone wasn’t "educationally challenged" he was a moron or a dumb ass. It is said that the WW II generation was the greatest and I completely agree. They knew how to deliver an good insult that was polite, sarcastic, and devastating. No pussy talk for those guys or gals. Here are some classic insults by famous people of that era. Enjoy.
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“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” – Winston Churchill
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“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” – Clarence Darrow
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“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.” – Groucho Marx
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“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” – Mark Twain
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“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” – Oscar Wilde
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“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend… if you have one.” – George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
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“Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second, if there is one.” – Winston Churchill’s response to George Bernard Shaw
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“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” – Mae West
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“Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee!” – Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
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“Madam, if I were your husband, I would drink it!” – Winston Churchill’s response to Lady Astor
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"There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure." – Jack E. Leonard
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"He has Van Gogh’s ear for music." – Billy Wilder
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“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” – Oscar Wilde
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"A modest little person, with much to be modest about." – Winston Churchill
Three of my all time favorites, Mae West, Mark Twain, and Winston Churchill. They just don’t make them like that anymore and it’s a damn shame (In my humble opinion).
The battle of the sexes has existed for as long as anyone can remember. If your a Christian it’s taught that women were made from a man’s rib and then couldn’t resist the temptations of the devil. Eve, the first woman, got the first man, Adam, thrown out of Paradise because of a lack of self-control. It’s a sad story but as in all ancient stories there is always a grain of truth. I’m not a big believer in religion or religious writings from hundreds or thousand years ago and prefer to make my own judgments based on what I know.
Let me qualify myself a little. My mother was a women. My sister was a woman. My grandmothers were women and many of my aunts and cousins were female. My many girl friends, lovers, and acquaintances were females. Why I was so enlightened that many of my pets were also female. I’ve had women work for me, with me, and on occasion I worked for them. I feel I have the right to voice an opinion or two about the war between the sexes because after being married for nineteen years I consider myself imminently qualified. It wasn’t the marriage that helped qualify me but the divorce. I learned a lot.
You probably think that I’m now going to rant about all of my bad experiences with the women in my life. I admit there have been a few but nothing I would care to bore you with. I’d rather fall back on the words of women and how they perceive themselves. Here we go.
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The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy. Helen Hayes (at 73)
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There is no more creative force in the world than the menopausal woman with zest. Margaret Mead
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One is not born a woman, one becomes one. Simone DeBeauvoir
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A male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic who never owned a car. Carrie Snow
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I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house. Zsa Zsa Gabor
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A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. A woman must do what he can’t. Rhonda Hansome
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Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult. Charlotte Whitton
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Whoever thought up the word "Mammogram"? Every time I hear it, I think I’m supposed to put my breast in an envelope and send it to someone. Jan King
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You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy. Erica Jong
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Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your girlfriends. Laurie Kuslansky
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Behind every successful man is a surprised woman. Maryon Pearson
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In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man – if you want anything done, ask a woman. Margaret Thatcher
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I never married because there was no need. I have three pets at home who answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late every night. Marie Corelli
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Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission. Eleanor Roosevelt
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I have everything I had twenty years ago, only it’s all a little bit lower. Gypsy Rose Lee
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The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again. Erma Bombeck
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A woman’s rule of thumb: if it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it. Unknown
Many of these quotations are from women who are famous and even iconic. Read them, digest them, and make up your own mind. Nothing stated here surprised me in the least. Now let’s hear from a few men about themselves.
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God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time. Robin Williams
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God made woman beautiful and foolish; beautiful, that man might love her; and foolish, that she might love him. Author Unknown
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Man is the only animal that blushes – or needs to. Mark Twain
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A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker. Chuang Tzu
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When a young man complains that a young lady has no heart, it’s pretty certain that she has his. George Dennison
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How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being. Oscar Wilde
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When a man is in love he endures more than at other times; he submits to everything. Friedrich Nietzsche
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Nature knows no indecencies; man invents them. Mark Twain
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Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. Albert Einstein
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Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place. Billy Crystal
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Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be. Proverb
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Every woman needs one man in her life who is strong and responsible. Given this security, she can proceed to do what she really wants to do – fall in love with men who are weak and irresponsible. Richard J. Needham
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Men play the game; women know the score. Roger Woddis
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I like men who have a future and women who have a past. Oscar Wilde
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There are two perfectly good men, one dead, and the other unborn. Chinese Proverb
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Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most times he will pick himself up and carry on. Winston Churchill
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Men forget but never forgive. Women forgive but never forget. Unknown
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Men are what their mothers made them. Ralph Waldo Emerson
This battle continues as it always has and always will with the same old complaints and wise cracks by both sides. It’s Mother Nature at her very best. It’s called the “mating ritual” by some experts but it all comes down to one thing. Yes, that’s right, you know exactly what I’m talking about, S..E..X! If your surprised by that statement then you must live in an isolated convent or monastery far from the civilized world. Either that or you’re a total idiot with a lack of common sense and no chance of getting laid.
The war continues.