Alcohol Quotes
My books are water; those of the great geniuses is wine. Everybody drinks water.
"My books are water; those of the great geniuses is wine. Everybody drinks water."— Mark Twain
Download in different sizes
Meaning of this quote
Twain jokingly compares accessible writing with a basic necessity. The self-deprecation also acknowledges the broad audience for his work.
Key takeaway:
Value accessibility without confusing it with lack of craft.
Origin of the quote
Twain’s notebook, 1885.
Who actually said this?
VerifiedTwainQuotes identifies this exact form with the notebook. A related water-and-wine comparison occurs in his 1887 letter to Howells.
