Church of Twain: And now, a word about ‘character’

Throughout his life in addition to being a famous writer, St. Mark of Missouri ranked among the great American characters. His speeches, essays, magazine and newspaper dispatches and best-selling books secured his place in the national pantheon of wise smart alecks.

Near the end of his life, Twain had this to say about the nature of character: “One must keep one's character. Earn a character first if you can, and if you can't, then assume one. From the code of morals I have been following and revising and revising for 72 years I remember one detail. All my life I have been honest--comparatively honest. I could never use money I had not made honestly--I could only lend it.”