“If the world comes to an end, I want to be in Cincinnati. Everything comes there ten years later.”
- November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910
- American
- Author, humorist, and lecturer
- Wrote masterpieces such as “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and had a major influence on American literature
Quote
“If the world comes to an end, I want to be in Cincinnati. Everything comes there ten years later.”
Explanation
Mark Twain’s quote humorously highlights the slowness or delayed progress of Cincinnati—or by extension, a particular place or society that is behind the curve in adopting new trends, technologies, or ideas. Twain’s suggestion that he would want to be in Cincinnati if the world were to end reflects his ironic admiration for the city’s lag—he implies that while everything else might be falling apart, Cincinnati will still be safe and unaffected, as it tends to experience major changes ten years later than the rest of the world. This comedic observation is a way of pointing out the contrast between cities or societies that are on the cutting edge of progress and those that are more conservative or slow to adapt.
Twain’s wit here is a satirical commentary on the pace of change and modernization, as well as the discrepancies between different places or cultures in terms of how quickly they embrace new ideas or innovations. The humor lies in the exaggeration that while the rest of the world might be racing toward disaster, Cincinnati will be just as unaffected by it as it is by trends, demonstrating how delay can sometimes feel like a form of protection.
In the modern world, this quote resonates with how we view technological and cultural trends in different cities or countries. Whether it’s the tech hubs like Silicon Valley in the U.S., or the global acceleration of social media trends, cities or regions that are slower to adopt new technologies or practices might seem out of sync with the fast-paced world, but they can also be perceived as more insulated from some of the risks associated with rapid change. Twain’s quote humorously invites us to consider whether slower progress might, in some cases, offer a form of safety—even in the face of the world’s inevitable challenges.
