--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An uneasy conscience is a hair in the…" description: "\"An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth.\" — Mark Twain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png" --- # An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth. ![“An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png) > “An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth.” [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. A guilty conscience feels like an uncomfortable, persistent irritation. **In simple terms:** Guilt feels like a nagging irritation. Key Takeaway Address guilt directly. Themes morality psychology discomfort Mood introspective serious Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - Therapy sessions - ethical dilemmas - personal reflection - conflict resolution Key Concepts Conscience inner conflict Questions to Reflect On - What irritates your conscience? - How can you soothe it? A Different Perspective Ignoring guilt can worsen stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Conscience Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience-hair-1590959/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Guilty conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty-conscience/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Hair Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair-mouth-360521/) [Mouths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouths/) [Uneasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy/) [Uneasy Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy-conscience-1590958/) ## Related quotes > [Rich Mullins was the uneasy conscience of Christian music. He didn't live like a star. He'd taken a vow of poverty so that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/rich-mullins-was-the-uneasy-conscience-of-christian-music-he-didn-t/) [Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/) > [“The cost of contemplating history is often an uneasy conscience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kluger/the-cost-of-contemplating-history-is-often-an-uneasy-conscience/) [Richard Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kluger/) > [To have her here in bed with me, breathing on me, her hair in my mouth—I count that something of a miracle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/to-have-her-here-in-bed-with-me-breathing-on-me-her-hair-in-my-mouth/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I’ve got hair in my mouth, because I replaced my teeth with my cat. This makes it more fun to pet my gums.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-ve-got-hair-in-my-mouth-because-i-replaced-my-teeth-with-my-cat/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“She goes on with her beautiful hair and mouth like before, I go on like before, alone in the field. It’s like my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/she-goes-on-with-her-beautiful-hair-and-mouth-like-before-i-go-on/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [No,' he said, 'memory's a poor thing to have. It's your own real hair and mouth and arms and eyes and hands I want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/no-he-said-memory-s-a-poor-thing-to-have-it-s-your-own-real-hair-and/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [If, while I hear the wild shriek of the slave mother robbed of her little ones, I do not open my mouth, am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-stone/if-while-i-hear-the-wild-shriek-of-the-slave-mother-robbed-of-her/) [Lucy Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-stone/) > [Suddenly the nickel-clad horse takes the bit in its mouth and goes slanting for the curbstone defying all prayers and all your powers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/suddenly-the-nickel-clad-horse-takes-the-bit-in-its-mouth-and-goes/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-were-meant-to-talk-more-than-listen-we-would-have-two-mouths/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-only-animal-that-deals-in-that-atrocity-of-atrocities-war/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“A guilty conscience is a great blessing, but only if it drives us to come home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/a-guilty-conscience-is-a-great-blessing-but-only-if-it-drives-us-to/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“People, in general, tend to project onto others their own state of mind. Well-meaning people inevitably assume other people are well meaning. People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-salter/people-in-general-tend-to-project-onto-others-their-own-state-of-mind/) [Anna Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-salter/) > [“So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my-2/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Few things are as bad as a guilty conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buchi-emecheta/few-things-are-as-bad-as-a-guilty-conscience/) [Buchi Emecheta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buchi-emecheta/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) ## 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 Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) [Rabelaise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabelaise/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Twain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mouth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conscience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mouth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e1/mark-twain-22_conscience_an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mo_939107.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth.” — Mark Twain", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Twain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An uneasy conscience is a hair...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mouth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/an-uneasy-conscience-is-a-hair-in-the-mouth/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```