Who said “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”?

Verified

Mark Twain. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceNotebook entry, January or February 1894, Mark Twain's Notebook, ed. Albert Bigelow Paine (1935), p. 240

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“If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”
— Mark Twain
VerifiedNotebook entry, January or February 1894, Mark Twain's Notebook, ed. Albert Bigelow Paine (1935), p. 240 · evidenceTruth

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Notebook entry, January or February 1894, Mark Twain's Notebook, ed. Albert Bigelow Paine (1935), p. 240.

APA

Twain, M. (n.d.). If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40817-if-you-tell-the-truth-you-dont-have/

MLA

Twain, Mark. “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40817-if-you-tell-the-truth-you-dont-have/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Twain, Mark. “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40817-if-you-tell-the-truth-you-dont-have/.

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“Truth and virtue conquer.”
— Motto
Original (Latin)

Veritas et virtus vincunt

VerifiedLatin family motto; recorded in James Wood, Dictionary of Quotations (1899), p. 518 · evidenceDetails & citeTruth

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