Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Sorry, not Mark Twain. It was written in 1971 by M. J. Shields¹. It has since been frequently mis-attributed to Mark Twain, who only wrote about a similar topic in 1899².

1. http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/05/iorz-feixfuli-m-j-yilz....

2. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/twain/mark/what_is_man/chap...




Ah, another quote misattributed to Twain. Looks like it was submitted as a letter to The Economist in 1971 — I'll update the parent. Thanks for pointing this out!


Looks like both of these are dead links (at least for me).





Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: