Emotion Quotes
Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.
"Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary."— Mark Twain
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Meaning of this quote
A genuine feeling can arise before a person consciously chooses how to respond. The statement concerns the origin of emotion, not a licence to act on every impulse.
Key takeaway:
Distinguish an involuntary feeling from your chosen response to it.
Origin of the quote
Circulates under Twain's name, including in modern quotation anthologies.
Who actually said this?
Commonly attributedNo original Twain text or dated recorded remark was established. Modern anthologies and scholarly reuse do not themselves authenticate the sentence.
