An Englishman is a person who does things because they have been done before. An American is a person who does things because they haven't been done before.

About Mark Twain

Portrait of Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He has been praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced", with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature". Twain's novels include...

More quotations from Mark Twain

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.

Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.

More quotations tagged with “americans”

Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American.

This nation was founded by many men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

—John F. Kennedy

The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.

—John F. Kennedy

George Washington had a vision for this country. Was it three days of uninterrupted shopping?

—Jeff Melvoin

Americans are benevolently ignorant about Canada, while Canadians are malevolently well informed about the United States.

—J. Bartlett Brebner

History

11 Jul 2015 Added