Mark Twain and Education

Mark Twain, author of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, was a great writer, funny, and a truth-sayer. He went to work at 12, yet read like dogs eat meat, was insatiable. While he respected education, he felt – more than 100 years ago – much of what passes for “education” is gobbledygook, and it is.

Because my mother was a teacher, we were encouraged to work hard, save for college, never give up, and “make something of ourselves.” We honored Mom, worked hard, and learned lessons young.

What lessons? Hundreds, but a few come to mind. We were taught never to give less than everything. The last inch can be the difference, succeeding or not.

Help others, but be self-sufficient. Learn self-reliance, take pride in it, whether changing tires or the oil, shoveling snow, or cutting wood. Fix your problem, do not ask others, just do it.

When others are in need, prioritize them, put them first, and worry about yourself later. She modeled that. Not one day in years did she go to bed early if needed on homework, and she was always up at 0500.

You can only lose your reputation once, so do not. You may lose face, lose money, lose a job, lose any number of material things, but honesty lets you sleep at night, and nothing matters more.

Earn the trust of animals, children, elders, peers, and all who know you. It counts for more than the job, raises, ranks, promotions, contracts, or anything else you can acquire. Earn it, hold it, build it.

Whoever figured out the half-empty glass was half full – changed everything. The operational question flipped – from when will it get empty, to what does it take to make it full. You can wake up every morning of your life with good cheer, no matter what you live with. Just decide to do it.

Accountability is not for others; it is for you. You are accountable to God and yourself when you decide to take or reject responsibility, whether a job, home, defending our country, starting a family, putting up with big pressure, holding your tongue, making ends meet, or all of the above.

Finally, everyone has courage, character, and faith when not needed. We only know we have it when needed, so prepare for that day. Understand the stakes, decide long before that day you have it.

Examples make things memorable, so a few lessons that school never taught me:

Hard work. We had no electric heat growing up, only three wood stoves. My brother and I worked over those years to cut the wood, split it, and put it up, proud of that chore. It was ours.

Self-sufficiency. When you get lost in the woods or at sea, literally or figuratively, you need to dig deep, be self-sufficient. I have done that in both places. Knowing you can survive is huge.

Kindness. Nothing supersedes the need to be kind, nothing – not politics, not a job, not pride or prejudice. Children count double, but we are all God’s children, all vulnerable at times – all.

Honesty. Working on an outdoor crew, a young person, I put unmixed gas in a 2-stroke, broke tools, nearly burned down a house with a propane torch tied to a broom, and overslept start time. My boss was a WWII vet, Pacific turret gunner in an Avenger. He forgave me, spoke his words, but I learned.

Trust. A different WWII vet trusted me to help get an ice shack off a lake before ice out. Lake was iffy, but I trusted him. He trusted me. We got it off ice. Took all day. Teamwork is based on trust. 

Optimism. My cross-country coach made me a project. I had never run. I was terrible, times miserable. He was relentlessly positive, told me I could do better, and refused to give up on me. Because of that, I did not give up on myself. I ran 12 marathons, best of 3:10:17. Optimism is powerful.

Accountability. Odd as it sounds, that word applies more to us than others. My grandfather and father were Navy. I loved America. After my education, I joined – one of my life’s best decisions.

Faithful. Young, I learned the Bible, read it weekly, years as an altar boy, then one day – many years later – I faced rough times behind the Iron Curtain and elsewhere. Christ was always right there.

What we learn young, we never forget. What we teach the young, they never forget. It is not the “schooling,” it is the schooling. As Twain wrote: “Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” So true for me, perhaps for you.

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!