--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mark Twain was so good with crowds that…" description: "\"Mark Twain was so good with crowds that he became, in competition with singers and dancers and actors and acrobats, one of the most popular performers ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/kurt-vonnegut-41_actors_mark-twain-was-so-good-with-crowds-that_965229.jpg" --- # Mark Twain was so good with crowds that he became, in… ![“Mark Twain was so good with crowds that he became, in competition with singers and dancers and actors and acrobats, one of the most popular performers of his time. It is so unusual, and so psychologically unlikely, too, for a great writer to be a great performer, too.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/kurt-vonnegut-41_actors_mark-twain-was-so-good-with-crowds-that_965229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/kurt-vonnegut-41_actors_mark-twain-was-so-good-with-crowds-that_965229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/kurt-vonnegut-41_actors_mark-twain-was-so-good-with-crowds-that_965229.jpg) > “Mark Twain was so good with crowds that he became, in competition with singers and dancers and actors and acrobats, one of the most popular performers of his time. It is so unusual, and so psychologically unlikely, too, for a great writer to be a great performer, too.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great writers rarely excel as performers, making Twain's dual talent surprising and highlighting the rarity of cross‑disciplinary charisma. **In simple terms:** Writers rarely are also great performers. Key Takeaway Recognize unique talent combos. Themes creativity performance rarity Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - stage readings - public speaking - media appearances - teaching workshops Key Concepts cross‑disciplinary skill public charisma Questions to Reflect On - Can a writer be a good speaker? - What makes a performer great? A Different Perspective Some may doubt his performance skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer/) [Great writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writer/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Performers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It is the little writer rather than the great writer who seems never to quote, and the reason is that he is never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/it-is-the-little-writer-rather-than-the-great-writer-who-seems-never/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [I wish I was a great writer or a great journalist or a great scientist or a great artist; I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-berggruen/i-wish-i-was-a-great-writer-or-a-great-journalist-or-a-great/) [Nicolas Berggruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-berggruen/) > [I'm not a great writer. I'm a great rewriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-chayefsky/i-m-not-a-great-writer-i-m-a-great-rewriter/) [Paddy Chayefsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-chayefsky/) > [A man can write one book that can be great, but this doesn't make him a great writer-just the writer of a great book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-man-can-write-one-book-that-can-be-great-but-this-doesn-t-make-him/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [I think Jesse Eisenberg is such a great writer. He was a great director and really tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-jesse-eisenberg-is-such-a-great-writer-he-was-a-great/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [The good writer, the great writer, has what I have called the three S's: the power to see, to sense, and to say. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-clark-powell/the-good-writer-the-great-writer-has-what-i-have-called-the-three-s-s/) [Lawrence Clark Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-clark-powell/) > [My work is very popular with performers, and there are theatre people who get what I'm doing and what tradition I'm working in. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-robert-brown/my-work-is-very-popular-with-performers-and-there-are-theatre-people/) [Jason Robert Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-robert-brown/) > ['Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.' Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-go-around-saying-the-world-owes-you-a-living-the-world-owes-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth. Â Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Mark Twain had a way of telling stories that shifts your consciousness away from labels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/mark-twain-had-a-way-of-telling-stories-that-shifts-your/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [“Never let school get in the way of your education. Mark Twain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-krieger/never-let-school-get-in-the-way-of-your-education-mark-twain/) Evelyn Krieger > [To make fun of an administration, to make fun of anything, Mark Twain said, is the last defense of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/to-make-fun-of-an-administration-to-make-fun-of-anything-mark-twain/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Mark Twain didn't psychoanalyze Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. 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Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. 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