Twain quote

Question

I see this quote frequently attributed to Mark Twain, but I've never seen a source cited:
"...with the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces."

I've also seen the quote as Twain's definition of "an ethical man," but again, no cite.
Help? Thank you.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I see this quote frequently attributed to Mark Twain, but I've never seen a source cited: "...with the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces." I've also seen the quote as Twain's definition of "an ethical man," but again, no cite. Help? Thank you.[/nq]
I googled "Christian holding four aces" and got 208 hits, most mentioning Twain. It's often tough to find a cite for a verbal/oral quote.

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[nq:2]"...with the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces." I've also seen the quote as Twain's definition of "an ethical man,"[/nq]
[nq:1]I googled "Christian holding four aces" and got 208 hits, most mentioning Twain. It's often tough to find a cite for a verbal/oral quote.[/nq]
Someone had to come up with the saying originally. If it wasn't Twain himself, it may well have been someone he met in his working life.

If you ever read Elegy on a Jug:
http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/Elegy.htm You may remember a comment about the working lives of some whom, had they been born elsewhere or to other circumstances, may have been remembered more widely for their abilities.
And got a storied urn instead.
I often wonder that had Shakespeare not caught the crest of the wave, would he be so highly thought of these days? I somehow doubt it.

It's the kind of acerbic comment you might well hear around a campfire at night when a raconteur joins the mesh of people telling anecdotes.

And particularly so among the people of Samuel Clements' early days. Where a Christian had the unalienable right to bear arms and use them with impunity on any slave or colourful person of a different persuasion the world over.

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[nq:1]If you ever read Elegy on a Jug: http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/Elegy.htm You may remember a comment about the working lives of some whom,[/nq]
Whom?

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[nq:2]If you ever read Elegy on a Jug: http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/Elegy.htm You may remember a comment about the working lives of some whom,[/nq]
[nq:1]Whom?[/nq]
Sticks out like a sore thumb - did Weatherlawyer post this as an example of bad grammar, or what?
Gary Eickmeier

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I see this quote frequently attributed to Mark Twain, but I've never seen a source cited: "...with the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces." I've also seen the quote as Twain's definition of "an ethical man," but again, no cite. Help? Thank you.[/nq]
{Discussing the history of the state of Nevada ...) It is mighty regular about not raining, though, William. It will start in here in November and rain about four, and sometimes as much as seven days on a stretch; after that, you may loan out your umbrella for twelve months, with the serene confidence which a Christian feels in four aces.
Territorial Enterprise, May 1 - May 15, 1864
WASHOE: "INFORMATION WANTED"
http://www.twainquotes.com/18640515t.html

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Whom?[/nq]
[nq:1]Sticks out like a sore thumb - did Weatherlawyer post this as an example of bad grammar, or what?[/nq]
..some, whom, had... ?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Sticks out like a sore thumb - did Weatherlawyer post this as an example of bad grammar, or what?[/nq]
[nq:1]..some, whom, had... ?[/nq]
Here's your original sentence, cut down by Gary until the point was lost:
"You may remember a comment about the working lives of some whom, had they been born elsewhere or to other circumstances, may have been remembered more widely for their abilities."
"Whom" is the subject of the dependent clause "whom ... may have been remembered," and as the subject it needs to be in the subjective, or nominative, sense: "who ... may have been remembered." The "whom" of which you are guilty is a hypercorrection.
Not to worry. It's a common blunder. But not yet common enough to have hardened into idiom.
And while we're at it, "may" in that sentence should have been "might."

Bob Lieblich
With apologies to Aaron Dinkin

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]..some, whom, had... ?[/nq]
[nq:1]Here's your original sentence, cut down by Gary until the point was lost:[/nq]
Robert, it was cut down by you, not me. I didn't re-post any part of the sentence.
Gary Eickmeier

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[nq:2]Here's your original sentence, cut down by Gary until the point was lost:[/nq]
[nq:1]Robert, it was cut down by you, not me. I didn't re-post any part of the sentence.[/nq]
So much for trusting memory. I clearly recall deciding not to snip any of the sentence, because I wanted my point to be evident on reading only my post. What I didn't remember is that I screwed up and snipped most of it anyway. I also don't remember what on earth led me to do that when my intention was to the contrary. So you're right, Gary, and I'm wrong. And please don't ever do that again.

Now if I could only remember my own name. So much for trusting memory.

Anonymous

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Any clever quotation in the English language
may be attributed to Twain, Shaw, Churchill,
Rogers, or Berra. Absolute proof of evidence
disproving the attribution may be ignored.

Twain quote

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