--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All publishers are Columbuses. The…" description: "\"All publishers are Columbuses. The successful author is their America. The reflection that they-like Columbus-didn't discover what they expected to dis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/mark-twain-22_america_all-publishers-are-columbuses-the-succes_1214221.png" --- # All publishers are Columbuses. The successful author is… ![“All publishers are Columbuses. The successful author is their America. The reflection that they-like Columbus-didn't discover what they expected to discover, and didn't discover what they started out to discover, doesn't trouble them. All they remember is that they discovered America; they forget…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/mark-twain-22_america_all-publishers-are-columbuses-the-succes_1214221.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/mark-twain-22_america_all-publishers-are-columbuses-the-succes_1214221.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/mark-twain-22_america_all-publishers-are-columbuses-the-succes_1214221.png) > “All publishers are Columbuses. The successful author is their America. The reflection that they-like Columbus-didn't discover what they expected to discover, and didn't discover what they started out to discover, doesn't trouble them. All they remember is that they discovered America; they forget that they started out to discover some patch or corner of India.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Publishers celebrate unexpected successes while overlooking original intentions, focusing on the final result rather than the journey. **In simple terms:** Publishers praise outcomes, ignoring original goals. Key Takeaway Recognize both goals and outcomes. Themes success expectation discovery history literature Mood reflective critical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - Publishing decisions - author contracts - marketing strategies - career planning Key Concepts Narrative bias goal displacement confirmation bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance original intent with unexpected outcomes? - What risks arise from ignoring initial goals? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on results can misguide future projects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) ## Related quotes > [I like Columbus, Ohio, because it's Pleasantville for real. They have the nicest white people I have ever met, and I mean that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-like-columbus-ohio-because-it-s-pleasantville-for-real-they-have/) [Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/) > [Twenty years ago I wanted to move to a nice place so our Charley would grow up a nice boy and learn a profession.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-polonsky/twenty-years-ago-i-wanted-to-move-to-a-nice-place-so-our-charley/) [Abraham Polonsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-polonsky/) > [Twenty years ago I wanted tomove to a nice place so our Charley would grow up a niceboy and learn a profession. But instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-polonsky/twenty-years-ago-i-wanted-tomove-to-a-nice-place-so-our-charley-would/) [Abraham Polonsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-polonsky/) > [When that book came out, it was like Columbus telling about America at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-white/when-that-book-came-out-it-was-like-columbus-telling-about-america-at/) [Theodore White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-white/) > [I'm sure you're gonna be taught, if you haven't already, that the people that were here, the Native Americans were beautiful, they were wonderful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-m-sure-you-re-gonna-be-taught-if-you-haven-t-already-that-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I try to carve my own way so the actors who come after me will say, "I want to do it like Columbus did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/columbus-short/i-try-to-carve-my-own-way-so-the-actors-who-come-after-me-will-say-i/) [Columbus Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/columbus-short/) > [“Like a Columbus of the heart, mind and soul I have hurled myself off the shores of my own fears and limiting beliefs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/like-a-columbus-of-the-heart-mind-and-soul-i-have-hurled-myself-off/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/bunkum-and-tummyrot-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-go-about-what/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Every successful author I know faced crushing rejection early on, and they got back up and kept going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/every-successful-author-i-know-faced-crushing-rejection-early-on-and/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [A successful author is equally in danger of the diminution of his fame, whether he continues or ceases to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-successful-author-is-equally-in-danger-of-the-diminution-of-his-2/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If I could wave a magic wand and be anything, I'd be a really respected, really successful author. That's a hard combination to get,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-elise/if-i-could-wave-a-magic-wand-and-be-anything-i-d-be-a-really/) [Christine Elise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-elise/) > [A successful author is equally in danger of the diminution of his fame, whether he continues or ceases to write. The regard of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-successful-author-is-equally-in-danger-of-the-diminution-of-his/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“I'd like to be a successful author before my hairline recedes further! OK I'm vain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-millar/i-d-like-to-be-a-successful-author-before-my-hairline-recedes-further/) David H. Millar > [In my opinion, understanding who your target audience is, and what they want, and writing to them (and only them!) is the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/in-my-opinion-understanding-who-your-target-audience-is-and-what-they/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [As much as we don't want to hear it, book marketing is a huge part of becoming a successful author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-hart/as-much-as-we-don-t-want-to-hear-it-book-marketing-is-a-huge-part-of/) [Heather Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-hart/) ## More by Mark Twain > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) [Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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