What does this quote by Mark Twain mean?

Question

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." ~ Mark Twain. I have my opinion, but it would help to get more views on it. Thanks to anyone who answers. Plz don't troll.

Answer 1

I think he means that he sees people having very STRONG opinions about another persons character - either negative or very positive. If you always do right, those who already have a negative opinion will be irritated that they've been proven wrong, and those that already thought you were great will be happily gratified by you.

Answer 2

Mark Twain Always Do Right

Answer 3

Yup. There is nothing spiritual or complex about this, even if Mark Twain said it. Translated into mild terms it is simplely- "Do the right thing, some people will be happy becuase of it and the rest will be surprised." And what's trolling? Yeah, I'm new.

Answer 4

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Schools feed you a curriculum, not an education. Mark Twain was an influential mind who believed a true education can only come through experience AND knowledge. Although schools try to fill you up with knowledge, most of it is useless information. To truly be educated one has to think for their self, which is where schools lack. Have you ever tried turning in a math assignment with the math done differently than how they showed you. I have and got a failing grade before I fought it back to an A. What he means is that people will try to tell you what they think is educating for you, but he is going to decide for himself what is educating and actively pursue that education, regardless of what he is taught in school. In many cases you will find out that the facts you are shown in school are merely an opinion of who is showing you. Take the colonization of America for instance. That is what you've been taught, we colonized America. Pretty simple right. But ask a Native American if the pilgrims colonized America or if they seized America through warfare and espionage and you will get a very different "education" of the colonization.

Answer 5

He meant that the most important kind of education is that of the education obtained through trial and error and through your own real life experiences. I believe; although my memory is a little sketchy and I may be mistaken about this, that Twain did not finish schooling and dropped out as early as elementary school because I know that he quickly became a printers apprentice at the age of 11. Twain was also widely known not only as a renowned write, but a humorist as well who was known for his sense of humor and sharp wit just as much as he was for his tenacious and mischievous character Huckleberry Finn

Answer 6

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RE:
What does this quote by Mark Twain mean?
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." ~ Mark Twain. I have my opinion, but it would help to get more views on it. Thanks to anyone who answers. Plz don't troll.

Answer 7

I think it means exactly what it says : in other words, always doing right is a win win situation. You'll probably help someone out, and at the very least surprise others (given that there's not much "right" in the world).

Answer 8

The quotation implies that most people ("most" being the difference between "some people" and "all people") are skeptical about human nature and believe that people, left to their own devices, will do wrong instead of right. Those gratified are either skeptics happy to be found wrong for once or the few who believe that people tend to be good.
It's one of my favorites and make doing right more delicious for the shock value of it.

Answer 9

It means that most people don't expect others to always do the right thing.

Answer 10

When you do right, the "higher standard" people will just be satisfied. The "normals" will be amazed at you because they don't set higher goals.