---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no family in America without a…"
description: "\"There is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext for the usual Sunday medley of dreadful sounds that issues fro..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png"
---

#  There is no family in America without a clock, and…

![“There is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext for the usual Sunday medley of dreadful sounds that issues from our steeples.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png)

> “There is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext for the usual Sunday medley of dreadful sounds that issues from our steeples.”

[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.

The quote humorously notes that every American household has a clock, implying that the regular Sunday church bells are an accepted, perhaps irritating, background noise.

**In simple terms:** Clocks are everywhere, making church bells a familiar, unavoidable sound.

Key Takeaway

Accept that some noises become part of daily life.

Themes

culture tradition soundscape humor daily life

Mood

lighthearted observational wry

Type

humorous social commentary

When to use this quote

- urban living
- Sunday routines
- community gatherings

Key Concepts

timekeeping religious practice social norms

Questions to Reflect On

- Do we notice the sounds we live with daily?
- How do cultural traditions shape our perception of noise?

A Different Perspective

The comment may overlook those who find the bells soothing rather than dreadful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Medley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medley/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunday/)

## Related quotes

> [We worked the medley on side two of "Abbey Road" out carefully in advance. All of those mini songs were partly completed tunes; some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/we-worked-the-medley-on-side-two-of-abbey-road-out-carefully-in/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [The Righteous Brothers were purely rhythm and blues, black music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-medley/the-righteous-brothers-were-purely-rhythm-and-blues-black-music/)

[Bill Medley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-medley/)

> [Born originals, how comes it to pass that we die copies? That meddling ape imitation, as soon as we come to years of indiscretion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/born-originals-how-comes-it-to-pass-that-we-die-copies-that-meddling/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [How extraordinary it is to be here at all. Awareness of death can jolt us awake to the sensuality of existence. Breath is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/how-extraordinary-it-is-to-be-here-at-all-awareness-of-death-can-jolt/)

[Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/)

> [See, I never wrote arrangements for the band for Judy Garland; I did strictly special material, special lyrics, put together all of her medleys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-torme/see-i-never-wrote-arrangements-for-the-band-for-judy-garland-i-did/)

[Mel Torme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-torme/)

> [Meditation is a tool to shake yourself awake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/meditation-is-a-tool-to-shake-yourself-awake/)

[Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/)

> [My favorite dish is cleaning out the fridge on Sunday night and improvising a great medley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/my-favorite-dish-is-cleaning-out-the-fridge-on-sunday-night-and/)

[Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/)

> [We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us - how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fort-newton/we-cannot-tell-what-may-happen-to-us-in-the-strange-medley-of-life/)

[Joseph Fort Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fort-newton/)

> [The sanction of force stands behind the medley of personal orders and regulations of Martial Law. The sanction of the people's consent stands behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/the-sanction-of-force-stands-behind-the-medley-of-personal-orders-and/)

[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/)

> [ When George \[Harrison\] died the guards at Buckingham Palace played a medley of George's songs during the changing of the guard; that sort of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/when-george-harrison-died-the-guards-at-buckingham-palace-played-a/)

[Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/)

> [I cut my teeth playing rock songs on the accordion when I was a teenager and my friends always thought that was extremely amusing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-cut-my-teeth-playing-rock-songs-on-the-accordion-when-i-was-a/)

[Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/)

> [I do a medley of hymns in all of my sets, whether I'm in an arena, in a theater, in an amusement park.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-adams/i-do-a-medley-of-hymns-in-all-of-my-sets-whether-i-m-in-an-arena-in-a/)

[Yolanda Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-adams/)

> [The news of the days it reaches the newspaper office is an incredible medley of fact, propaganda, rumor, suspicion, clues, hopes, and fears, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-news-of-the-days-it-reaches-the-newspaper-office-is-an-incredible/)

[Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/)

> [“for in prosperity prayers seem but a mere medley of words, until misfortune comes and the unhappy sufferer first understands the meaning of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/for-in-prosperity-prayers-seem-but-a-mere-medley-of-words-until/)

[Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/)

> [Either an ordered Universe or a medley heaped together mechanically but still an order; or can order subsist in you and disorder in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/either-an-ordered-universe-or-a-medley-heaped-together-mechanically/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

## 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. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext for the usual Sunday medley of dreadful sounds that issues from our steeples.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Twain"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a-clock-and-consequently-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a-clock-and-consequently-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/mark-twain-22_america_there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a_178341.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext for the usual…” — 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": "There is no family in America...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a-clock-and-consequently-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-no-family-in-america-without-a-clock-and-consequently-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
