Source of Mark Twain quotation

December 5, 2012 7:40 AM

What is the source of this quotation attributed to Mark Twain?

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

It's not that I don't believe that Mark Twain wrote or said this, but I'm a little skeptical. Nowhere (on the internet) is the source of the quotation given. Can anyone help? Thanks.

posted by feelinggood to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

From here:

The earliest documented publication of the quote is in H. Jackson Brown Jr.'s P. S. I Love You (Rutledge Hill Press, 1990). Brown's book is a collection of quotes and maxims attributed to his mother.

Whether or not TwainQuotes dot com is a reliable source of information is your call.
posted by griphus at 7:42 AM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

At the very least it actually appears in the book.

(Also, I can't imagine why Mark Twain the steamboat pilot would be making a sailing analogy.)
posted by griphus at 7:48 AM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]

The Quote Investigator also took on this quote and attributed it to H. Jackson Brown, Jr. as well, which quotes TwainQuotes as a reputable source.
posted by Fortran at 8:04 AM on December 5, 2012

(Also, I can't imagine why Mark Twain the steamboat pilot would be making a sailing analogy.)

Not that this is a argument for sourcing it as Twain, but he did a fair bit of overseas travel, so it is not inconceivable for him to make sailing analogies.
posted by edgeways at 8:32 AM on December 5, 2012

He knew about sailing. The biggest clue that this is not his is that it's simply very, very different from his tone.
posted by Miko at 9:07 AM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Didn't know about quoteinvestigator. Thanks.
posted by feelinggood at 2:15 PM on December 6, 2012