Mark Twain is not always accurately quoted (then again, as we’re seeing so frequently, who is?).
Mark Twain did not write, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word, is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug,” as he has been so often quoted.
Mark Twain was a better writer than that. He wrote: “The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a
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Bill Brohaugh
large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
This is important on two levels.
One, it’s a matter of Getting It Right, out of respect not only to one of the masters of the language but also to everyone —all of us deserve to be quoted not only for what we said but also for what we meant.
Two, it is indeed a matter of preserving the artistry of Twain’s statement.
The misquote diminishes the point when it places lightning first and bug second. The lightning flashes out of context, and then the bug blinks weakly as the thunder disappears. The actual quote builds to thunderous crescendo; it introduces the affable lightning bug and then trumps it mightily with the lightning itself. Punchline. Climax. Apex.
The difference between the almost right quote and the right quote? Indeed, the silent blinking and the thunder.