9 tips for living a good life from Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or better known as American author Mark Twain, had nine great quotes to inspire happiness and good living.

1. “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” 
Learn to like yourself, and be comfortable with who you are.

2. “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Sometimes the limitations we face are self-made. Overcome your self-consciousness, and you can overcome the barriers you’ve set for yourself.

3. “Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”
Humor is one of life’s greatest tools to fight negative emotions.

4. “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
When you’re angry, you hurt yourself more than anyone else. Make an effort to resolve your issues and talk about your feelings.

5. “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
How often have we met people with an attitude of entitlement? Have you noticed that these people almost always seem unhappy and frustrated? Learn that you can shape your own life through your own choices - you’ll be happier once you do!

6. “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”
Don’t just come up with ideas… follow through with them! Take the criticism or praise in stride, but don’t allow those things to become a barrier of excuses. Be prepared for others to disagree until they see the final result of your work.

7. “Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”
The longer you dwell on your problems instead of making plans to better yourself and your life, the more you will suffer. Don’t let the victim mentality crush your life! Try to focus on the positive aspects of your life and you can learn to pull yourself away from negativity.

8. “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up.”
Have you ever performed an act of kindness and realized how good you feel after? When you help someone, they’re not the only one who benefits – you will emotionally benefit, too. Help spread positivity!

9. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Do something that makes you happy, even if you’re afraid you won’t succeed. Write that book you’re afraid no one will read. Paint that portrait you think no one will like. Go on that vacation you’ve always been telling yourself you’d take time for. Teach yourself that craft you always rationalized wouldn’t be financially beneficial! When you grow old, lament the things you never tried, not the things you tried and failed.