“It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” - Mark Twain

Hello, I am Mark Twain. You might know me as a writer, humorist, or chronicler of the human condition. But today, I’d like to share with you a thought of mine that’s proven as enduring as it is unsettling: “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” Now, let’s unpack this. In my time, the world was simpler in some ways, yet human nature was no less complex. People clung to their beliefs—whether born of tradition, ignorance, or deception. When confronted with evidence that their cherished ideas might be wrong, they often dug their heels in deeper. Why? Because admitting they’d been fooled felt like admitting weakness, and humans, as a rule, despise feeling vulnerable. Back then, this played out in the newspapers, in political debates, and in social circles. Misinformation and manipulation traveled by word of mouth or ink on paper, but their effects were no less potent than the tools of today. Those seeking to deceive exploited pride, fear, and the human tendency to cling to the familiar.