mark twain

my friend jay shared a quote with me recently.  it's from mark twain's biography.  he said when he read this blog it reminded him of it, or maybe when he read the quote it reminded him of the blog...

What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, and every day, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those other things, are his history. His acts and his words are merely the visible, thin crust of his world, with its scattered snow summits and its vacant wastes of water--and they are so trifling a part of his bulk! a mere skin enveloping it. The mass of him is hidden--it and its volcanic fires that toss and boil, and never rest, night nor day. These are his life, and they are not written, and cannot be written. Every day would make a whole book of eighty thousand words--three hundred and sixty-five books a year. Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man--the biography of the man himself cannot be written.

of course this quote would come from a writer...  why would i think that?  because i think some people live in their heads more than others. specifically people who have a lot of time to think.  i notice the busier i am the less time i spend in my head, especially if i'm doing physical work. i hadn't thought of it before, my writing does provide some insight... but roughly 79,500 words that don't make the cut.

i would also like to take this opportunity to note that i believe actions speak louder than words... in theory.  but in truth, our actions don't always reflect our thoughts.  and our intentions and actions don't always align..  this can cause misunderstanding and hurt.  it is important to remember that you are the only person that has access to the millions of thoughts going through your head.  you can't assume that other people will know what you are thinking or what you mean.  and i think what we forget quite often, is to think about how our words will affect other people before we say them.  if you're thinking in your head all day about how wonderful someone is, but the first thing you say when you see them is "you're late"... do you think they'll know you've been thinking about how wonderful they are?  some food for thought, directly from my thought capsule.

i was looking for a picture of mark twain, as i always like to find an interesting picture of the person i'm quoting... and i must say he isn't at all photogenic....  i was having a difficult time finding a photo i liked, and then i found this site called zazzle that makes custom mugs (among other interesting items).  and i spent more time than i'd like to admit customizing a mug to share.  but the real question is - who want's to look at mark twain's face first thing in the morning?