# Quote — Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad

> A gifted person ought to learn English (barring spelling and pronouncing) in thirty hours, French in thirty days, and German in thirty years.

- Author: [Mark Twain](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mark-twain.md)
- Book: [A Tramp Abroad](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mark-twain/a-tramp-abroad.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mark_Twain#A_Tramp_Abroad_(1880)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Topics: [humor](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor.md)
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/mark-twain/a-tramp-abroad/a-gifted-person

## More from this book

> Some German words are so long that they have a perspective. Observe these examples:

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mark-twain/a-tramp-abroad/some-german-words.md)

Topics: [humor](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor.md), [words](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/words.md)

> In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mark-twain/a-tramp-abroad/in-german-a-young.md)

Topics: [humor](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor.md), [words](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/words.md)

> You may say a cat uses good grammar. Well, a cat does -- but you let a cat get excited once; you let a cat get to pulling fur with another cat on a shed, nights, and you'll hear grammar that will give you the lockjaw. Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it's the sickening grammar they use.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mark-twain/a-tramp-abroad/you-may-say.md)

Topics: [humor](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/humor.md), [cats](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/cats.md)