--- title: "3 Mark twain Quotes By John Kennedy Toole" description: "3 Mark twain quotes by John Kennedy Toole. Plus more from John Kennedy Toole and more Mark twain sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/john-kennedy-toole-4650_currents_veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-r_654114.png" --- > [Veneration of Mark Twain is one of the roots of our current intellectual stalemate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-roots-of-our-current/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/john-kennedy-toole-4650_currents_veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-r_654114.png) > [It smells terrible in here.' Well, what do you expect? The human body, when confined, produces certain odors which we tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/it-smells-terrible-in-here-well-what-do-you-expect-the-human-body/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38a/john-kennedy-toole-4650_age_it-smells-terrible-in-here-well-what-do_1383600.png) > [“This river is famed in atrocious song and verse; the most prevalent motif is one which attempts to make of the river…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/this-river-is-famed-in-atrocious-song-and-verse-the-most-prevalent/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-kennedy-toole-4650_america_this-river-is-famed-in-atrocious-song-an_3144738.jpg) ## Other authors on Mark twain ## More by John Kennedy Toole > [“Myrna was not astigmatic; the lenses were clear glass; she wore the glasses to prove her dedication and intensity of purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/myrna-was-not-astigmatic-the-lenses-were-clear-glass-she-wore-the/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“She ran into the bathroom and powdered her face and the front of her dress, drew a surrealistic version of a mouth beneath her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/she-ran-into-the-bathroom-and-powdered-her-face-and-the-front-of-her/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“Is it the part of the police department to harass me when this city is a flagrant vice capital of the civilized world?" Ignatius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/is-it-the-part-of-the-police-department-to-harass-me-when-this-city/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [employers sense in me a denial of their values...they fear me. i suspect that they can see that i am forced to function in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/employers-sense-in-me-a-denial-of-their-values-they-fear-me-i-suspect/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“Do I believe the total perversion that I am witnessing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/do-i-believe-the-total-perversion-that-i-am-witnessing/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [Between notes, he had contemplated means of destroying Myrna Minkoff but had reached no satisfactory conclusion. His most promising scheme had involved getting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/between-notes-he-had-contemplated-means-of-destroying-myrna-minkoff/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“I suspect that beneath your offensively and vulgarly effeminate façade there may be a soul of sorts. Have you read widely in Boethius?" "Who?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/i-suspect-that-beneath-your-offensively-and-vulgarly-effeminate-fa/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/i-am-at-the-moment-writing-a-lengthy-indictment-against-our-century/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“In my private apocalypse he will be impaled upon his own nightstick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/in-my-private-apocalypse-he-will-be-impaled-upon-his-own-nightstick/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [Psycho? The woman's senile. We had to stop at about thirty gas stations on the way over here. Finally I got tired of getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/psycho-the-woman-s-senile-we-had-to-stop-at-about-thirty-gas-stations/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [I mingle with my peers or no one, and since I have no peers, I mingle with no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/i-mingle-with-my-peers-or-no-one-and-since-i-have-no-peers-i-mingle/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“Hey! All you peoples draggin along here. Stop and come stick your ass on a Night of Joy stool," he started again. "Night of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/hey-all-you-peoples-draggin-along-here-stop-and-come-stick-your-ass/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“Schiller needed the scent of apples rotting in his desk in order to write. I, too, have my needs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/schiller-needed-the-scent-of-apples-rotting-in-his-desk-in-order-to/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“Every difficult work presents us with a choice of whether to judge the author inept for not being clear, or ourselves stupid for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/every-difficult-work-presents-us-with-a-choice-of-whether-to-judge/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [“Had you ‘artists’ had a part in the decoration of the Sistine Chapel, it would have ended up looking like a particularly vulgar train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/had-you-artists-had-a-part-in-the-decoration-of-the-sistine-chapel-it/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark-twain/john-kennedy-toole/#itemlist", "name": "3 Mark twain Quotes By John Kennedy Toole", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Veneration of Mark Twain is one of the roots of our current intellectual stalemate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Kennedy Toole" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-roots-of-our-current/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/john-kennedy-toole-4650_currents_veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-r_654114.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/john-kennedy-toole-4650_currents_veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-r_654114.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/john-kennedy-toole-4650_currents_veneration-of-mark-twain-is-one-of-the-r_654114.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Veneration of Mark Twain is one of the roots of our current intellectual stalemate.” — John Kennedy Toole", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It smells terrible in here.' Well, what do you expect? The human body, when confined, produces certain odors which we tend to forget in this age of deodorants and other perversions. Actually, I find the atmosphere of this room rather comforting. Schiller needed the scent of apples rotting in his desk in order to write. I, too, have my needs. You may remember that Mark Twain preferred to lie supinely in bed while composing those rather dated and boring efforts which contemporary scholars try to prove meaningful. 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This failure to make contact with reality is, however, characteristic of almost all of America’s “art.” Any connection between American art and American nature is purely coincidental, but this is only because the nation as a whole has no contact with reality. 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