“A man’s experiences of life are a book. There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy and a tragedy.”
From his personal notebook and also “The Refuge of the Derelicts”
Ah, who doesn’t love Twain. And this quote is in the core of what has become a main philosophy of mine. I’ve often shared it here using a similar quote from C.S. Lewis, written about 50-60 years after Twain (maybe Lewis first read it in Twain?). In our ever-increasing, angry, quick-to-judge, and eager-to-attack world (just go read any social media comments), we MUST get the point that Twain is saying.
He is NOT saying (neither is Lewis) that mean people deserve a pass or that you must be a wallflower, easily ignored or bullied. However, rather than immediately leaping to denunciation or confrontation, better to start with curiosity and wonder. Realize that just like yourself, there are things going on, and things that have gone on, happening inside of each human you meet. There are reasons that they are acting this way this day.