So, he never said that? Or was he not the first to say that? Different things.

One of the sources of the NPR piece says, Mark Twain who is often connected to this saying did not use it according to the best available research, but one of his tangentially related quotations is given later for your entertainment.

It doesn't seem like he said it at all. Mark Twain, much like Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill, and Albert Einstein, has the fascinating ability to become associated with any pithy quote ever said in the English language.

I always thought it was Goethe.

He's good, right? I sometimes let him do wide shots if I feel like getting Blaised back in my winnie.

And I can find no evidence that movie mogul Louis B. Mayer originated the telegram meme "Fuck you. Strong letter to follow."

I like that quote.

Hubert Humphrey was asked how long it would take him to prepare a 15 minute talk, and he said a week. Asked how long for a two hour talk, and he said, I am ready right now.

note: I don't recall the actual numbers.

The quote "I've been rich and I've been poor. And, believe me, rich is better" has been ascribed to almost every well-known black woman blues or jazz singer from before the 60s.

"One man alone is pretty dumb but for real bonified Stupidity, there ain't nothing that beats teamwork." - Mark Twain, probably.

Don't believe everything on the internet. - Albert Einstein

He also famously never said “the coldest winter I had was a summer in San Francisco” or similar

Thank you for sharing that... I never knew it was an actual Einstein quote!
:)

But he did say, "I spent a month in Poughkeepsie one weekend."

Abe Lincoln

I thought that was Abraham Lincoln!

Mark Twain was actually three kids in a trench coat.

"You ever tried going mad without power? It's boring, no one listens to you." - Albert Einstein

"I always thought it was Goethe." - Abe Lincoln

Why is there a giraffe in the photo tho?

Cicero, actually.

Seneca