Mark Twain Did Not Write, “It is never wrong to do the right thing”

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thehistorianshut
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Online quote aggregators and databases of dubious attribution accuracy often claim that Mark Twain (the alias used by Samuel Clemens, c. 1835-1910) stated, “It is never wrong to do the right thing,” or, alternatively, “You’re never wrong to do the right thing.” Moreover, the people who claim that Mark Twain stated this quote often go on to state that this passage came from The Autobiography of Mark Twain. Yet, none of the quote aggregators disclose a chapter or page number for the quote in question. This is a red flag. Now, here at The Historian’s Hut, we prefer to only feature quotes if we can trace its origin back to a specific text and chapter, or other such searchable numeration, so that readers can find the passages in their own copies of the literary work in question. Unfortunately, this kind of attribution is not possible for the quote highlighted here. After searching through several copies of Mark Twain’s autobiography and collected works, including editions dating both from the early 20th century as well as newer versions from the 21st century, the unfortunate conclusion is that Mark Twain never wrote “It is never wrong to do the right thing” or “You’re never wrong to do the right thing.” Mark Twain would likely subscribe to that philosophy, but he just did not write down the quote.

Written by C. Keith Hansley

Picture Attribution: (Samuel Clemens, full seated portrait, [no known rights restrictions] via the Library of Congress).

 

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