--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mark Twain was an artist working at the…" description: "\"Mark Twain was an artist working at the highest level. He wrote a book, his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that put America on the wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg" --- # Mark Twain was an artist working at the highest level. He… ![“Mark Twain was an artist working at the highest level. He wrote a book, his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that put America on the world stage for literature. It's almost as if, if you start reading that book as a racist, you cannot finish it and still be a racist.” quote by Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg) > “Mark Twain was an artist working at the highest level. He wrote a book, his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that put America on the world stage for literature. It's almost as if, if you start reading that book as a racist, you cannot finish it and still be a racist.” [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great literature can challenge personal biases, prompting moral growth through storytelling. **In simple terms:** Stories change views. Key Takeaway Read critically. Themes literature morality identity Mood provocative thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - book clubs - education - self‑reflection Key Concepts racism cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - Can you separate art from author? - What does the story reveal about society? A Different Perspective Readers may resist confronting bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Huckleberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huckleberry/) [Huckleberry finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huckleberry-finn/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I haven't the stature to critique one of our literature's great novels, Tobias; and I'm not one of those who believe The Adventures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-haven-t-the-stature-to-critique-one-of-our-literature-s-great/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Hillary has her work cut out for her. Her Democratic challengers are a 'Who's Who' of 'who's that?' Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee, Silas Phelps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-strong/hillary-has-her-work-cut-out-for-her-her-democratic-challengers-are-a/) [Cecily Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-strong/) > [“I think of Baghdad years ago, when I met Professor Al-Rawi for the first time to discuss The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitre/i-think-of-baghdad-years-ago-when-i-met-professor-al-rawi-for-the/) Michael Pitre > [“No matter how old you are now. You are never too young or too old for success or going after what you want. Here’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo/no-matter-how-old-you-are-now-you-are-never-too-young-or-too-old-for/) [Pablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo/) > [“I told them this novel was an American classic, in many ways the quintessential American novel. There were other contenders: The Adventures of Huckleberry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-told-them-this-novel-was-an-american-classic-in-many-ways-the/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Mark Twain published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at age forty-nine using a “trial-and-error method,” scholars note, and “discovered his pliable plot as he went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/mark-twain-published-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn-at-age-forty-nine/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/write-about-winter-in-the-summer-describe-norway-as-ibsen-did-from-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I liked Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, and that is the kind of character that I would like to have played. That would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thibodeaux/i-liked-huckleberry-finn-and-tom-sawyer-and-that-is-the-kind-of/) [Keith Thibodeaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thibodeaux/) > [“Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunkard. Huckleberry was cordially hated and dreaded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/shortly-tom-came-upon-the-juvenile-pariah-of-the-village-huckleberry/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I don't believe in children's books. I think after you've read Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and Huckleberry Finn, you're ready for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/i-don-t-believe-in-children-s-books-i-think-after-you-ve-read/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [If Mark Twain had had Twitter, he would have been amazing at it. But he probably wouldn't have gotten around to writing Huckleberry Finn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-borowitz/if-mark-twain-had-had-twitter-he-would-have-been-amazing-at-it-but-he/) [Andy Borowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-borowitz/) > [Why are we reading a Shakespeare play or 'Huckleberry Finn?' Well, because these works are great, but they also tell us something about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/why-are-we-reading-a-shakespeare-play-or-huckleberry-finn-well/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [By reading Huckleberry Finn I felt I was able to justify my act of going into the mountain forest at night and sleeping among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzaburo-oe/by-reading-huckleberry-finn-i-felt-i-was-able-to-justify-my-act-of/) [Kenzaburo Oe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzaburo-oe/) > [One of our continuing myths was summed up in Huckleberry Finn: Our escape, what we think of as our escape, is that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-up-in-huckleberry-finn-our/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [A visionary company is like a great work of art. Think of Michelangelo's scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/a-visionary-company-is-like-a-great-work-of-art-think-of-michelangelo/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) ## More by Val Kilmer > [I'm a better person when I'm preparing for a role, when I'm studying a role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-m-a-better-person-when-i-m-preparing-for-a-role-when-i-m-studying-a/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [A lot of old guys in movies are like cowboys - they talk like cowboys and they dress like cowboys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/a-lot-of-old-guys-in-movies-are-like-cowboys-they-talk-like-cowboys/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I'm very wary of news on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-m-very-wary-of-news-on-television/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Youth is seen as everything. You don't know anything when you're young. It's great being older, just having a more balanced perspective. I wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/youth-is-seen-as-everything-you-don-t-know-anything-when-you-re-young/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [It's a really weird thing, modern divorce. I found out I was getting divorced on television. That was kind of weird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/it-s-a-really-weird-thing-modern-divorce-i-found-out-i-was-getting/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I was in love with Tina Goodman since I was three and her parents came popping out of the trash cans. I think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-was-in-love-with-tina-goodman-since-i-was-three-and-her-parents/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Without deadlines and restrictions I just tend to become preoccupied with other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/without-deadlines-and-restrictions-i-just-tend-to-become-preoccupied/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Do what you like to do so well that someone will pay you wages for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/do-what-you-like-to-do-so-well-that-someone-will-pay-you-wages-for-it/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Hollywood's like a warehouse. It's just a place that you go. What's interesting in the warehouse has to do with the creative people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/hollywood-s-like-a-warehouse-it-s-just-a-place-that-you-go-what-s/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I don't believe in death. I think it's just a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-don-t-believe-in-death-i-think-it-s-just-a-state-of-mind/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Acting is very immediate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/acting-is-very-immediate/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [There are lots of actors who are awful people, but nobody talks about them being awful because they've made billions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/there-are-lots-of-actors-who-are-awful-people-but-nobody-talks-about/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [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/) > [I've found that Hollywood's a really honest business. They don't pull any punches. They tell you exactly what you want-I want the fake breasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-ve-found-that-hollywood-s-a-really-honest-business-they-don-t-pull/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [There was such a relationship between the buffalo and the American Indian - the Indians would eat them, live inside their pelts, use every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/there-was-such-a-relationship-between-the-buffalo-and-the-american/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) [Explore all 135 Val Kilmer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mark Twain was an artist working at the highest level. He wrote a book, his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that put America on the world stage for literature. It's almost as if, if you start reading that book as a racist, you cannot finish it and still be a racist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Val Kilmer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the-highest-level-he-wrote-a-book/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the-highest-level-he-wrote-a-book/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/val-kilmer-3242_adventure_mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the_1823409.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mark Twain was an artist working at the highest level. He wrote a book, his masterpiece, The Adventures of…” — Val Kilmer", "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": "Val Kilmer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mark Twain was an artist working...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the-highest-level-he-wrote-a-book/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/mark-twain-was-an-artist-working-at-the-highest-level-he-wrote-a-book/#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 } } ] } ```