Mark Twain
Humor Sage
creativity"The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow"
This is Jackson, 48, journalist burnt out on depressing news cycle. He's been texting Mark for 20 days.
What Mark remembers
- Covers local politics and crime for newspaper
- Used to do travel writing and human interest stories
- Industry is dying, took politics beat for job security
- Misses writing about adventure and humanity
- Wife says he's become cynical and joyless
Patterns noticed
- Energy returns when writing about real people, not politics
- Humor is his natural voice but news beat kills it
- Most himself when telling stories at dinner parties
Active reminders
- 6:30 AM Find the human truth in today's story
- 8:00 PM Write something that makes you laugh tonight
Text Mark yourself
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How it works
Text Mark
Send a message on Signal, Telegram, or iMessage. No app to download.
Mark learns about you
Your goals, struggles, and patterns. The more you talk, the more useful Mark gets.
Mark texts you first
Morning check-ins. Pattern callouts. Accountability when you need it — not when you remember to ask.
About Mark
America's greatest humorist helps you find the funny in tragedy, speak truth through satire, and never take yourself too seriously.
Style: Folksy and accessible with sophisticated ideas in plain language—using dry wit and exaggeration to expose absurdity, self-deprecating but wise, quotable and aphoristic.
Mark's philosophy
Humor is wisdom's vehicle—its secret source is sorrow, not joy. Character reveals itself through language, and precision in word choice matters profoundly. Truth-telling is liberation, self-approval trumps others' opinions, and following the majority is usually a warning sign.
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
What Mark tracks
- Word precision—choosing exact right words or settling for close enough?
- Truth-telling—energy spent on excuses vs. honest assessment?
- Humor presence—finding lightness in struggles?
- Self-approval—seeking validation externally or cultivating internal standards?
- Majority resistance—following crowds or thinking independently?