Explore. Dream. Discover: The Real Story Behind the Misattributed Mark Twain Quote
Many of you will be familiar with these three words: Explore. Dream. Discover.
They appear at the end of a well-known quote that is widely attributed to Mark Twain. I see it often on Lovesail, where it graces the profiles of many sailors seeking adventure, and perhaps love.
Here is the full quote:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
It’s a lovely quote, a metaphor for change and an invitation to embrace possibility. For those of us who love the sea, it carries a particular charm. It evokes romantic visions of leaving behind the drudgery of everyday life, pursuing freedom, and finding excitement and exotic places under sail. What an intoxicating image.
Did Mark Twain Write “Explore. Dream. Discover”?
Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 in the small town of Florida, Missouri. He grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River, and when his father died when Clemens was only 11, he began an apprenticeship with a printing firm.
He soon started submitting short written pieces to local newspapers, and his love of writing took hold. After completing his apprenticeship, he travelled across the country working in print.
At 22, perhaps on a whim, he trained as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. When the Civil War broke out, he moved west in 1861 and eventually began writing under the pen name Mark Twain. He found opportunities that combined travel and storytelling, and his career flourished.
Given his life of riverboats, travel, and adventure, it’s easy to assume he authored the “Explore. Dream. Discover.” quote.
But he didn’t.
There is no verified evidence that Twain ever wrote or said it, yet it is routinely and incorrectly attributed to him.
Who Did Write It?
So who deserves credit for the quote?
It appears in “Life’s Little Instruction Book” by H. Jackson Brown Jr., published in 1991. Brown attributes the words to his mother, and that is the earliest known source.
While there are many references to the quote throughout the 1990s, often misattributed to Twain, there are no known references to it before 1991.
Most Quoted… and Most Misquoted
Mark Twain is considered one of the most quoted and most misquoted authors of all time. One can imagine him chuckling at his writing desk in the sky at all the sayings wrongly linked to him.
Take this one, often credited to Twain:
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
And yes, you guessed it, he didn’t write that either.
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Main image generated using AI.
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